Monday, April 20, 2020
Are you Afraid or Excited?
I think the book and the article point to an interesting question: How do you view monsters? Are you frightened or excited? Does the idea of looking beyond life make you excited, or do you feel like you are touching on things that just shouldn't be messed with? I mentioned this in my discussion question, but this book and article reminds me so much of the Hamlet question: Is the ghost in Hamlet real or imagined? Whatever you think will change the way the entire production/reading takes place. Neither is the definitive stance, you could see it either way. And THAT is why this story (and other monster stories) continue to intrigue us today!
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You bring up an interesting idea here. Are we intrigued by monsters or scared? Frankly I think it depends on our comfort level with the situation. Reading about them we probably aren't too terribly scared. However walking down a back alley at night or through the woods in the rain we might have a different perspective. That being said I can't sya I am overly excited about monsters in any fashion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the point about how monsters can be seen either way. I have always liked to not think too deeply about ghosts, etc. then it opens your mind to all kinds of possibilities. I agree with Adam's point that it is all relative to our own comfort. I do feel like there are people who become too obsessed with monsters. I was on a ghost tour in Boston and the tour guide had given a tour to a bunch of people who believed they were vampires. They actually consumed human blood and dressed in a particular way according to this man. Why is there such an obsession with the supernatural?
ReplyDeleteI know that I am definitely not frightened. Monsters bring light to the idea of reality versus fantasy. Where is the line drawn? Monsters can be humanlike, which is surreal and sometimes difficult for some people to process. I agree with Rudy. If people think they have encountered the paranormal in some instance, then they might be a bit squeamish to monsters or ghosts.
ReplyDeleteMonsters certainly have a cathartic effect in literature and film and theatre: we have to allow ourselves to experience that frisson of fear or we don't let them do their job! Aristotle tells us that without catharsis, we open ourselves up to the need to experience those emotions in real life, which as Adam rightly points out above, is a whole other situation than experiencing it through fiction. ;-)
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