THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY BY OSCAR WILDE

 

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY BY OSCAR WILDE - The Picture of Dorian Gray, the novel, was first published serially in 1890 in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. In all his body of work--lectures, essays, plays and poems--it is his only novel.  It so offended critics on the basis of low morals and debauchery; Oscar included a preface in the longer 1891 version, defending ‘art for art's sake’. In the second version for book publication, he made exclusions in the most controversial material, including obscuring the homoerotic themes. A painter, infatuated not only with his muse’s beauty, becomes enthralled by his hedonistic vices. If the sitter sells his soul, the picture ages, but he won’t. He pursues a variety of amoral experiences while his portrait, hidden from public view, records every sin. It seems beauty and sensuality are the only pursuits truly worth living for. Wilde was a contemporary of Bram Stoker, they attended Dublin’s Trinity College as classmates. After college, he moved to London and became an ardent proponent of Aestheticism. He split time between London, Paris and America. He released a series of well-received plays internationally. He scaled the heights of society, lauded in fashionable salons for his witty banter. But after a casual accusation from the father of one of his friends, his so-called friends urged Oscar to sue for libel. The trial resulted in making public knowledge of his associations with: blackmailers, male prostitutes, cross-dressers and his visits to homosexual brothels. This set forth a chain of events which would lead to his imprisonment, and eventually, his death. His sentence to a hard labor camp caused him to collapse from fatigue. His eardrum ruptured and he spent 2 months in the infirmary. Upon release, he left London never to return again. Oscar lived out the remainder of his life in exile, poverty and disgrace. Since his death nearly 120 years ago, his public perception has transformed into an icon for artistic expression. Most of all, Oscar’s wit, be it in publications or otherwise, remains effervescent. One-of-a-kind, an original, wholly responsible for devising his persona, and credited for delivery of a unique vision. Never before, never since, but forever... Oscar. 

FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER

TWO CENTURIES OF FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER - Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, the novel, was anonymously published by Mary Shelley in 1818.  Her name appeared in the second edition. Two years earlier 18 year old Mary rented a Swiss villa, along with her husband, the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Their guests included: Lord Byron, also a poet, and his mistress/ Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont. John William Polidori, author of The Vampyre and vampire fiction pioneer, also joined them. They summered on Lake Geneva taking the boat out on the water, discussing ideas, writing stories, and telling ghost stories late into the night. Long spells of incessant rain kept the guests captive inside the villa. Lord Byron encouraged them to write a ghost story. That evening was particularly restless, and the young wife couldn’t sleep. Mary was visited by a reanimated corpse, in a waking dream, a creature so compelling she put him in writing. The byline refers to Prometheus, a mythological creature, who formed humans from clay, which provided them with fire. In Shelley's Gothic science fiction/ horror story, scientist Victor Frankenstein creates an unnamed monster from pieced together collected cadavers. Henceforth referred to as Frankenstein’s Monster, a hideous abomination. When he can’t socialize in human society, he exacts his due from Dr. Frankenstein, leaving the reader unsure who to root for. Just because he’s different, he is chased by villagers carrying flaming pitchforks. Hammer Horror produced 7 films with the character, but the best studio to film the role was Universal Pictures.  Don’t miss the 1931 pre-code version, starring Boris Karloff. His look is what comes to any reader’s mind, recalling the name Frankenstein. I credit Shelley with the creation of Gothic horror, and for its influence on speculative fiction to this day. She preceded Edgar Allen Poe (The Black Cat, 1843) by two decades. John William Polidori (The Vampyre,  1819) is said to have inspired Sheridan Le Fanu (Carmilla, 1872), who in turn inspired Bram Stoker (Dracula, 1897).  The stories written by these men, forebearers of genre, moved into a space created by an 18-year-old girl named Mary.

http://www.chadschimke.com/2020/07/frankensteins-monster.html 

https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/06/mary-shelley.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/10/frankenstein.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/10/frankenstein-by-mary-shelleymp3.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/07/frankenstein-1931.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/07/frankenstein.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2012/10/frankenstein-or-modern-prometheus-by.html

DRACULA, A CENTURY OF THE VAMPIRE

DRACULA, A CENTURY OF THE VAMPIRE - Dracula, the novel, was written by Bram Stoker in 1897. Years later, it appeared in silent films and then talking films. TV shows and streaming series came afterward. At present Blumhouse Productions, a film studio, announced a new treatment of the material. In 2020, director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), is working to bring a fresh perspective to the tale. Why has the character endured, while so many others have faded away? Because the character has so much potential for retellings, depending on the desired outcome. Count Dracula can be: a hero, a historical figure in a period piece, an ugly monster, a PNR love interest, an antihero/ villain, or even a straight man for puns or jokes. This post will provide sample actors, scripts and renditions which have been released over nearly a century. Which one of these subjectively deserves to be considered the best, or the worst?

Max Schrek - Nosferatu (1922)

As thinly veiled plagiarism, Stoker's widow sued the film studio and won a judgement. The studio went bankrupt, and all copies were ordered to be destroyed. Somehow one version of this silent film survived and was reprinted. Technically this was Count Orlok, but nothing had been altered from novel to script. The vampire is animalistic: slumped back, sharp ears, jagged teeth and long fingernails. This is Schreck’s most famous role. His acting was so convincing legend persists to this day he was a real vampire.

Bela Lugosi – Dracula (1931)

When asked to imagine Dracula’s appearance, this is the image that comes to everyone’s mind. The widow’s peak, the tuxedo, the red lined cape, the pale skin and long fingernails. His furtive movement, the rhythm of his voice, and the way he swept his cape over his face. Lugosi never again played a part so well, but that’s why his performance has been copied so many times.

Lon Chaney Jr. – Son of Dracula (1943)

Lon Jr. could never have lived up to his father: legendary actor and makeup artist, The Man with 1000 Faces, Lon Chaney Sr. The other problem with this film is Lon Jr. attempted to copy Lugosi. Another man whose shoes he could never fill. This film fails on both accounts, as a poor and lifeless imitation. Sadly reductive it brought nothing new, compared to better versions.

Christopher Lee – Horror of Dracula (1958)

I’d like him to be known as the Technicolor Dracula. He was presented in color for the first time in this version. Hammer Horror devoted themselves to the genre, whereas Lee played the title role his entire life.  It became his signature role for good reason. Filmed on location in real chateaus, the atmosphere of lurking dread is marvelously authentic, especially in the studio’s early films. For me, Lee is the best at this part. 

Frank Langella – Dracula (1979)

This version portrays our hero as a romantic lead. Including a tagline "a love story" incorporated into the title. This iteration created space which modern vampire versions would later occupy. Such as Twilight, Vampire Diaries and Interview with a Vampire. Frank Langella is quoted as saying he “wanted to show a man who, while evil, was lonely and could fall in love."

Gary Oldman – Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

A bit hokey at points, the film is successful overall in the performances, sets and costumes. The result is a convincing portrayal of the count from Transylvania. It’s a romance between Winona Ryder as Mina and Gary Oldman in the title role. He’s lavishly costumed, strange, dramatic, intense, and sexually alluring. Somehow this film is still fresh, when compared to less successful versions. Francis Ford Coppola does a great job of creating a period paranormal romance.

Richard Roxburgh – Van Helsing (2004)

Bad early CGI, unrealistic hairpieces, clunky dialog, fake accents, and wooden overacting. What’s worse is it’s riddled with cliché movie monster references. Not to mention full-on explanations on the backstory, along with labored “how to kill vampires” sequences. Nothing works, the whole thing is canned and over produced.  As I prepped to write this post, I wondered. Why hadn’t I ever watched this movie? After forcing myself to sit through it, the answer became clear.

Claes Bang – Dracula (2020)

This concept strays far, far away, from the original source material. Reviews are mixed, pertaining to Netflix’s version of the vampire. But in my opinion, this version works well enough. I liked the fresh take on storytelling. It included satisfying, daringly dark humor. Most horror comedy doesn’t work, but this one does. It’s dark enough to be shocking sometimes. Bang is a dashingly handsome man, possessing enough elegance to bring believability to the character.  His mannerisms are reminiscent of Lugosi, which makes him well-suited to the part.

MARY SHELLEY

MARY SHELLEY - Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin’s mother died only 11 days after her birth. In her later writing, death would become a pervasive fixture of Mary’s life. She was born to her father William Godwin, an anarchist and atheist, and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft, a radical feminist for the time. When her father remarried, she had a difficult relationship with her stepmother. Percy Bysshe Shelley, an influential Romantic poet, began a romance with Mary in 1814 while he was still married. When they returned to England from travels in France, she was pregnant with his child. After his wife’s suicide they married, and Mary also endured the death of their premature daughter. One historic day at the age of 18, Mary rented Swiss villa with her husband, joined by Lord Byron and his mistress/ Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont. They were accompanied by John William Polidori, the creator of the vampire fiction, and author of The Vampyre. The group wrote, canoed on Lake Geneva, and talked late into the night. It rained incessantly, which forced them to remain indoors. So they gathered around the fireplace, telling tales of German ghost stories. Lord Byron, a well-known Romantic poet in his own right, urged everyone to write their own ghost story. Each morning, upon being asked what she came up with, Mary couldn’t articulate a new idea. But on one particular sleepless night, she was haunted by a waking dream, wherein she was paid a visit by a reanimated corpse. At first she thought it would be a short story, but her husband encouraged her to develop a novel. Frankenstein--or, The Modern Prometheus--was published in 1818. During their marriage she edited and promoted her husband’s writing. But after Percy drowned in a sailing accident, she devoted herself to a career as an author. She died at the age of 53, most likely from a brain tumor. 

http://www.chadschimke.com/2020/07/frankensteins-monster.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/06/mary-shelley.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/10/frankenstein.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/10/frankenstein-by-mary-shelleymp3.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/07/frankenstein-1931.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/07/frankenstein.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2012/10/frankenstein-or-modern-prometheus-by.html

BRAM STOKER

BRAM STOKER - Abraham "Bram" Stoker was born in 1847 to Abraham Stoker, a senior civil servant, near Dublin, Ireland. Bedridden and ill until he started school, he recovered and attended Trinity College, where he met Oscar Wilde. Stoker married Florence Balcombe, whose former suitor was Wilde. The notorious Wilde was initially upset, but later resumed a social and literary relationship with Stoker. Bram had one child, a son named Irving Noel Thornley Stoker, born in 1879. Stoker involved himself in London's high society and wrote theater reviews. He became assistant to actor Sir Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre, which Irving owned. He toured America with Irving, where he met President McKinley and Roosevelt, along with his literary idol Walt Whitman. Stoker wrote for The Daily Telegraph newspaper: The Crystal Cup, The Chain of Destiny, The Snake's Pass, The Lady of the Shroud and The Lair of the White Worm. Before Dracula, Stoker met Hungarian Ármin Vámbéry, who shared folklore/ myths of the Carpathian Mountains. On a visit to Whitby, England; Stoker became inspired to write Dracula, in 1897. Stoker began Dracula mere weeks after Oscar Wilde's conviction for homosexuality. He visited castles, crypts and the locales featured in Carmilla, written by Sheridan Le Fanu. He conducted research at The London Library but never traveled to Transylvania. An epistolary novel, Dracula is a collection of diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings, a style developed while working as a newspaper writer. Stoker corresponded with/ participated in long-term relationships with many important men over his lifetime. Walt Whitman, Henry Irving, Oscar Wilde and Hall Caine, to name a few. Reportedly, his marriage was sexless and he died of syphilis, just like Oscar Wilde. His letters, research and journals were released posthumously, filled with pledges to men as comrades, Grecian themes, and codes for homosexuality. Much of Dracula’s homoeroticism is said to derive from his own repressed/ thinly veiled sexual fantasies. Late in life, he demanded imprisonment of homosexual authors, in order to divert attention from himself, and to pay penitence for his own self-loathing. The monster in Wilde’s book The Portrait of Dorian Gray, literally a painting, is a self-portrait of the writer, so is the vampire depicted in Stoker’s Dracula. The vampire, a mincing monster in evening wear, creeps secretively in shadows, imprisoned by his own vices, feasting on young blood. Victorians were terrified of being outed, a source of the longing, captivity, coded language, and secrecy imbued in these writings. The specter of death was central to Stoker’s most famous character, yet his best book was relatively unknown in his lifetime. After several strokes, Stoker died in 1912. Florence published Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories in 1914. When FW Murnau released Nosferatu in 1922, starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, Florence sued for copyright infringement and won. The court ordered all existing prints burned, but a single print survived which had already been distributed. Duplicated over the years, it took on its own life as a fan favorite. Universal Studios released the first authorized version in 1931, starring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. A pre-code production, staged with a similar extravagance as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. Dracula was forever cemented as an icon of popular culture, largely due to Universal and Lugosi. Vampire legends weren’t new, yet Dracula’s/ vampire fiction’s place in film, TV, radio, comics and novels never waned in popularity ever since. Lost until the 80s, the original 541-page manuscript of Dracula was found in Pennsylvania. Typed pages, with handwritten notations scribbled in the margins, with THE UN-DEAD on the title page, changed at the last minute to DRACULA. Who says there’s anything wrong with changing your mind at the last minute? 

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/08/nosferatu.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/08/dracula-by-bram-stoker-free-pdf.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2019/02/bram-stoker.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2017/01/old-time-radio.html

THRILLER MIND MAP

THRILLER FICTION

Thriller Fiction - Thrillers heighten suspense, sustain tension, cause curiosity, place obstacles before protagonists, employ literary devices such as plot twists/ cliffhangers/ reversals, and always lead to a climax. Early proto-thrillers began with adventure fiction in pulp magazines, and the genre solidified with the introduction of spies. The Riddle of the Sands, below, created the term “Spy Novel”. Detectives are also suitable protagonists in thrillers. Generally speaking, the strong man (hero) wins “the girl” and the villain is vanquished. A successful thriller causes apprehension, conceals important information, builds momentum, and reveals carefully constructed information. Manipulating revealment/ concealment/ sequence of important points is crucial. While not directly considered to be speculative fiction (supernatural, fantasy, superhero, science fiction, horror, etc.), thrillers often contain elements of horror, crime, pulp and hardboiled fiction. Many classic slasher horror books could be considered thrillers, as long as they are undiluted by a supernatural element, and take place in a conventional world. There are numerous types of thrillers: legal, spy, medical, romantic, historical, political, religious, high-tech, military, scifi, etc.

What’s most important is execution, regardless of type. For this reason, few if any thrillers deviate from three-act structure and are never experimental in form. The only distinction between thriller and suspense is the intensity, whereas drama is more nuanced, open to multiple interpretations. A good thriller delivers strong execution: an enticing hook hurtling toward the end, intense plot points, raising stakes, plenty of tension, and a satisfying climactic ending, which ties the whole thing together. A boring thriller is an oxymoron.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1846)

Betrayed by his friends, an imprisoned man escapes, he seeks to enact revenge on his captors by assuming a new identity as a count.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

An adventurer travels to the heart of Africa up the Congo River. Atrocity and inhumanity are exposed, which makes one wonder what it means to be civilized.

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers (1903)

An officer navigates sand banks via small boat, to investigate a secret project on an island.

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (1915)

When an expatriate allows an American to hide in his flat, he returns home to find him dead, struck through the heart with a knife.

The Black Angel by Cornell Woolrich (1943)

After her husband’s mistress is murdered, his wife tracks down the suspects, systematically destroying them.

Sudden Fear by Edna Sherry (1948)
A playwright fires an actor as she workshops her play prior to opening night. She becomes embroiled in a tangled web of a murder plot, a double cross, jealous rivals, a frame job and a counter attack. With her husband, a bourgeois girl she saves from drowning, her secretary and her financial advisor.

The Nine Wrong Answers by John Dickson Carr (1952)

The nine wrong answers are a series of near-fatal traps navigated by an imposter. He confronts the villain with the correct, and tenth final answer in the climax.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (1953)

James Bond, secret agent 007, targets a communist paymaster, LeChiffre, under the Soviet murder organization named SMERSH.

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (1980)

Plagued with amnesia, Jason Bourne must uncover his remarkable abilities, and his true identity. All while being chased by an assassin who wants him dead.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (1988)

Buffalo Bill kidnaps, starves, skins and sews his victim’s skin into suits, then dumps their remains in nearby rivers. Clarice Starling questions Dr. Hannibal Lecter as she tries to locate him.

Phantoms by Dean Koontz (1983)

Heavily influenced by Lovecraft, two sisters return home to find everyone mutilated or missing. Their town was built over the den of amoeboid shapeshifter that mimics and consumes life forms.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (1996)

When a man complains of insomnia, his doctor advises him to attend a support group to experience real suffering, like Fight Club.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2003)

When a symbologist investigates a murder in the Louvre, the victim is discovered with an inscription beside his body. This involves him in a battle between two secret monastic orders.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005)

In this vast locked room murder mystery, alternate story lines are merged later on, that follows a sprawling cast of characters. Wherein a journalist pairs with a private investigator to uncover the truth of a young girl’s disappearance.

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (2013)

At the Sparrow School, a former ballerina is forced to undergo espionage training, to seduce targets of the Russian government.

Comes the Dark by Michael Prescott (2013)

Time is running out for two siblings, orphaned by a double murder decades earlier. When a local girl's remains are discovered at the river, the sister retraces memories from her youth, and suspects her brother of murder.

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2019/01/fantasy-fiction-genre.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2018/08/science-fiction.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2017/11/horror-fiction.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2017/10/hard-boiled-fiction.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2019/02/thriller-fiction.html

SFF SUBGENRES CHART

FANTASY FICTION

Fantasy fiction - Fantasy can often be separated from other speculative fiction genres by the lack of scientific or macabre themes, but not always. It is set in a fictional universe, often without any locations, events, or people referencing reality. Its roots are in oral traditions, sword and sorcery, mythology and old gods. The most common tropes in the fantasy genre derive from the medieval or renaissance eras. As part of speculative fiction (supernatural, fantasy, superhero, science fiction, horror, etc.) modern fantasy more loosely blends elements of near/ far other-worlds, ancient/ future worlds, and or alternative histories.

Nowell Codex by Anonymous (circa1000)

The codex is comprised of 3 works including Beowulf written by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet. Beowulf slays a monster attacking the castle that belongs to the King of the Danes.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (1387)

Mostly written in verse, Chaucer describes a wide range of classes in English society. As a courtier he wrote poetry for the nobility. In the Knight's Tale, the MC leads crusades against pagan leaders in many countries.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (1844)

A young man leaves home to join the Musketeers of the Guard. Unable to join the elite corps, he befriends the three inseparables.

Phantastes by George MacDonald (1858)

A young man is pulled into a dream world, hunting for the Marble Lady, an idealized beauty. After many adventures and temptations he gives up his ideals.

Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard (1932)

A barbarian who worships a deity called Crom, this sword and sorcery fantasy originated in pulp fiction magazines, such as Weird Tales. 

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin  (1968)

Set in the fictional archipelago of Earthsea, a young wizard unleashes a shadow creature during a duel with a fellow classmate.

Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly (1985)

A witch and a lord are approached by a prince who requests they slay a dragon. They agree on the condition the king send troops to the Northlands to fend off bandits.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (1990)

When a global cataclysm ends the Age of Legends, The Breaking of the World occurs three thousand years later. The series depicts ancient mythology and advancements similar to the Industrial Revolution.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (1993)
In the Seven Kingdoms, Ned Stark executes a deserter who fled from the Wall. Meanwhile, the bastard Jon Snow joins the Night's Watch. And Daenerys Targaryen becomes betrothed to a Dothraki warlord.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson  (2010)

Cast out by his people, a Shin man is sent to murder the king of one of the world's most powerful nations. He possesses magic such as Honorblade, used to cut anything, and Surgebinding, that renders him able to bind things together.

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2019/01/fantasy-fiction-genre.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2018/08/science-fiction.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2017/11/horror-fiction.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2017/10/hard-boiled-fiction.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2019/02/thriller-fiction.html