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Strange and Scary Story Talk
United States
Registrace 2. 10. 2019
Hello fans of dark and twisted fiction! I'm Heather Nanni, author, college professor and host of STRANGE & SCARY STORY TALK, the show where we discuss works of short fiction, both classic and contemporary.
Happy reading! You might want to consider keeping your lights on while you sleep tonight.
Happy reading! You might want to consider keeping your lights on while you sleep tonight.
Angela Carter’s THE LADY OF THE HOUSE OF LOVE
On this episode I discuss Angela Carter's THE LADY OF THE HOUSE OF LOVE, a frightening and fascinating tale about a vampire who wishes she were human and the young man who finds himself spending the night at her castle. It is part horror, part fairy tale and full of all the elements that make gothic tales so appealing and frightening. It is also much more; THE LADY OF THE HOUSE OF LOVE is a story about gender, power, and the human need for love as well as our capacity for violence.
While all literary criticism is my own, I use other sources for the biographical and historical information. Here are the sources I used for this episode:
Angela Carter's Feminist Mythology by Joan Acocella
www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/angela-carters-feminist-mythology
Angela Carter: Far from the fairy tale by Edmund Gordon
www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/01/angela-carter-far-from-fairytale-edmund-gordon
Angela Carter talks to Lisa Appignanesi
czcams.com/video/SrrEdWNP1rk/video.html
While all literary criticism is my own, I use other sources for the biographical and historical information. Here are the sources I used for this episode:
Angela Carter's Feminist Mythology by Joan Acocella
www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/angela-carters-feminist-mythology
Angela Carter: Far from the fairy tale by Edmund Gordon
www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/01/angela-carter-far-from-fairytale-edmund-gordon
Angela Carter talks to Lisa Appignanesi
czcams.com/video/SrrEdWNP1rk/video.html
zhlédnutí: 271
Video
THE SPECIALIST’S HAT by Kelly Link
zhlédnutí 733Před 3 lety
On this episode I discuss Kelly Link's THE SPECIALIST'S HAT, a work that earned Link the World Fantasy Award in 1999. It is a literary mash-up of horror, fantasy and fairy tale. Disturbing, strange and brilliant, THE SPECIALIST'S HAT is almost as fun to discuss as it is to read-and it begs to be read over and over... You will find THE SPECIALIST'S HAT here: kellylink.net/specialists-hat While a...
THE SUMMER PEOPLE by Shirley Jackson
zhlédnutí 1,2KPřed 4 lety
On this episode, I discuss one of Shirley Jackson’s lesser-known short stories, THE SUMMER PEOPLE. The story, published in 1950, is classic Jackson complete with outsiders, angry villagers and a house that just might be a couple’s undoing. Please pardon the editing glitch at the eighteen minute mark. Also, I have a correction to make-Jackson and her family moved to Rochester when she was a seni...
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK by Joan Lindsay
zhlédnutí 774Před 4 lety
Today I discuss Joan Lindsay’s haunting 1967 Australian gothic novel, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK. Of course, it would be impossible to talk about the book without mentioning Peter Weir’s 1975 film adaptation. Please share with me your thoughts on both the book and the film in the comment section. Also, if you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to like and subscribe! Until next time. Source: McCulloch...
Clarice Lispector’s THE FIFTH STORY
zhlédnutí 657Před 4 lety
Today I discuss THE FIFTH STORY, a short work of fiction written by Clarice Lispector. If you enjoy this video, please like and subscribe! Please note that towards the end of the video I say that Gottfried Leibniz was a mathematician and philosopher of the eighteen hundreds. I meant to say sixteen hundreds (sixteen and seventeen hundreds to be precise). It was out of my mouth before I realized ...
THE ALTAR OF THE DEAD by Henry James
zhlédnutí 423Před 4 lety
Tonight I discuss Henry James’s exquisite short story, THE ALTAR OF THE DEAD. In this beautiful and haunting tale, James explores the themes of death, betrayal, forgiveness and unconditional love. Correction: James’s 1904 masterpiece is The Golden Bowl and not The Glass Bowl. By the time that stumbled out of my mouth, it was too late to turn back.
Elizabeth Gaskell’s THE OLD NURSE’S STORY
zhlédnutí 1,8KPřed 4 lety
It’s Christmastime and, if you’re sick to death of saccharin sweet holiday made for TV movies, do as the Victorians did and read ghost stories where winter is bleak and death is serious business. Elizabeth Gaskell’s THE OLD NURSE’S STORY is a classic gothic tale of jealousy, betrayal and terror.
The Victorian Tradition of Sharing Ghost Stories at Christmas
zhlédnutí 281Před 4 lety
Today we discuss the Victorian tradition of sharing ghost stories at Christmas. Here on STRANGE & SCARY STORY TALK we will be resurrecting the practice by reading and talking about classic ghost stories written in the vein of Charles Dickens, M.R. James and Charlotte Riddell. Also, if you are in Connecticut on December 17th, 2019, I will be hosting a live event-Ghost Stories at Christmas. If yo...
THE MOON AND THE YEW TREE by Sylvia Plath
zhlédnutí 2,5KPřed 4 lety
Today I discuss THE MOON AND THE YEW TREE by Sylvia Plath. This piece is haunting and beautiful, exquisitely rendered and heartbreaking. It is not only one of my favorite Plath works but one of my favorite poems period. Please, if you like this program, don’t forget to subscribe.
Edith Nesbit’s IN THE DARK
zhlédnutí 211Před 4 lety
Tonight we discuss Edith Nesbit’s IN THE DARK. While Nesbit is best known as a writer of children’s fiction, she can certainly craft a fantastic ghost, or in the case of IN THE DARK, corpse story.
Marghanita Laski’s THE TOWER
zhlédnutí 2,9KPřed 4 lety
It’s devil’s night, the night before Halloween! I can’t think of a better time to discuss what is perhaps one of the best, most compelling, most horrifying short story ever written-Marghanita Laski’s THE TOWER! Enjoy and, if you like the episode, please subscribe! Also, please leave your comments? Do you like THE TOWER as much as I do? I can’t wait to hear from you.
Daphne du Maurier’s THE DOLL
zhlédnutí 404Před 4 lety
Today I’m talking about Daphne du Maurier’s THE DOLL. It’s dark, creepy and shocking for the time in which it was written. Please join the conversation by leaving your comments below and don’t forget to subscribe! Follow me on Twitter:
POMEGRANATE SEED by Edith Wharton
zhlédnutí 271Před 4 lety
Tonight we’re discussing POMEGRANATE SEED by Edith Wharton. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Strange & Scary Story Talk and meet me over on social media to further discuss the story. I’m on Twitter @heather_nanni and Instagram @profhnanni. Be sure to use the hashtag #strangescarytalk. Sweet dreams. May your monsters remain under your bed and not in your head. Until next time...
Talking About WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? By Joyce Carol Oates
zhlédnutí 6KPřed 4 lety
Today we talk about WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. When you finish viewing this video, please meet me over on Twitter @heather_nanni or Instagram @profhnanni and share your thoughts.
Shirley Jackson’s THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL
zhlédnutí 2,7KPřed 4 lety
Tonight we discuss Shirley Jackson’s THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL. The episode contains spoilers, so be sure to read the story before watching. After you watch the episode, be sure to meet me on Twitter @heather_nanni or instagram @profhnanni where we will carry on the conversation. Please remember to subscribe and hit the like button below. Also, come see what’s happening on my blog quirknjive.com....
This story has nothing to do with colour or racism..its about the disappearance of these school girls by an unseen force,which I think led them into another timezone,almost hypnotised...that's why there is an uneasy feeling with the people in the book/film that the girls have been taken against their will.
Ugh I could listen to you talk about scary stories all day.
Wow you're very insightful and beautiful. Wish you were still at this!
Ty for your insight I am reading haunting of Hill house and took a break to listen to this short story , I can tell u r quite passionate about the topics 🙂
Chapter 18 is vital to the story. I regret that it was excluded. In Australia we have no tradition of faerie and I see Chapter 18 as placing what happened fair and squarely within the faerie realm. The crab transformation, for example, is not Aboriginal, but rather based on Greek and French fairy tale traditions. Thank you for your presentation. Here is my blog on the topic: michaelorganresearch.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-faerie-realm-of-joan-lindsays.html
Enjoyed... I'm an Oates fan.
what if the 'sacrifice of tower' is for the bond of marriage being the bond of sacrifice for some women and the fear of opening up or speaking up gets you so numb that its either jumping off and ending your life or just following a blind trail with the hope of this being the only way to survive now.
This is great!
Thanks for the video
Very helpful and engaging analysis. Thank you!
Very nice explanation 👏
Little louder for those of us in the back
Well explained. Thank you ver much.
Thank you so much. It was a beautiful discussion. I highly appreciate your effort. More power to you.
Amazing summary. If I had to guess, I believe this story had to do with ageism. One more evidence I would like to point out is the mentioning of age in the letter that was written. Not once but twice. "Alice says that now that you're not as young as you used to be." "Been playing a lot of bridge lately with some people you don't know, named Carruthers. Nice young couple, about our age." It's a shame that many old people in society are often cut off from society.
"... everything begins, and ends, at exactly the right time and place ..."
One of my favorite movie quotes.
I love The Summer People. It reminds me of this small town I've moved back to to care for my ailing mother. I lived in a bigger city for 25 years. I was very surprised to find out businesses closed down whenever they wanted to, staff are rude, try to complain to a manager and you get nowhere. The newspaper is a gossipy rag. The people gossip. I've been pulled over by the police for stupid things. Well, my mother is deceased now, I'm 59 and crippled up with lupus so I am STUCK. Had to move to an apartment for people with disabilities. I've quit trying to make friends here, don't feel well and that petty gossip gets on my nerves. I stay in my apt and entertain myself with books and such. If I want to get out I drive to parks, or better yet, cemeteries. No one ever goes out there and the trees are beautiful. Lol.
Great point about the lack of redemption. The message seems to be that the sins on the past can’t be rectified.
thank you for this video bestieee
You mentioned the " Miranda must go " movement.... that people were more concerned about the fate of a fictional character over those of real people .That reminded me of the young American girl who disappeared appeared while on a school trip .People were so worried about one young white girl whose family had money - with little thought of many pooer girls of different color and race who disappeared .
It’s not concern about the fate of a young white girl with access to wealth. People aren’t concerned. They are drawn to a parable they relate to. Being a stranger in a strange land, the fears, the juxtaposition of beauty and horror are sensations that are deeply held for many Australians who experience the outback. It’s resonance with people does lay in the very fact that Joan Lindsay felt that it was all terribly real for her. Though it is fiction, it is still a patchwork of an older Victorian lady’s experience living in the region. The people are all inspired by her life, the events and themes of the book are from her life. The relationship with time and sapphic relations with women are themes in the story that greatly affected her real life. It is for most people widely acknowledged that the story is fiction. And in that fiction we have created a mythology that is important to many people. Just as the people of the warundjiri and Kulin nations had a strong spiritual connection to a location; so do the people who have experience this story and spent time at the rock. It’s unfair of you to frame things as you did of Australians being low key racist because they celebrate an important piece of literature.
great video !! shocked you don’t have much of a following. keep it up :)
But why there are more steps when Caroline is going dow?
❤👏
Had an exam on this and u helped me immensely
Me too. After 2 days is my Term 3 final english Exam.
@@yohanaalisy9236 wait monday? are u from sabis?
@@drippedoutmiddleeastern6637 yes
@@yohanaalisy9236 how are you studying for all my sons ? It's so much, did you guys get a teacher's guide or anything ? If you have anything please help me out 😅
@@drippedoutmiddleeastern6637 watch the play on CZcams
miss u queen
U q'een umiss
Is it just me or was I too lazy to do my hw and read it so I just decided to watch the Summary 🤔
yessir
I need to write an essay and wasn’t paying attention when she was reading it so now I’m here 😭
@@joshcop9058me too😂
literally same
This is my first time hearing this poem. And I absolutely loved hearing your thoughts on it. You absolutely brought it to life! I am also on a journey exploring Sylvia Plath, and it is amazing the more you explore her ....a broader thing happens.... something richer... and you stop seeing her just through that lens of her tragic death.
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked the video. The Moon and the Yew Tree is one of my favorite Plath poems. She was brilliant-each time I read her work, I am mesmerized. There is a new Plath biography, Red Comet by Heather Clark, that you'll want to read!
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 Yes! That is actually next on my list. I’m working through her journals right now and I’m loving them so much. But every single person I talk to keeps talking about how good that book is. So I’m really excited to get to that
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it! By the way, I just subscribed to your channel and can't wait to watch.
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 Oh yay! I subscribed to You too and I’m excited to follow you and see what you explore on your journey
I was brought here because there is another story called The Summer People by the Twilight Zone radio program as well as CBSRMT. It is a different story.
Nice i love clarice
Wasn't she amazing? I feel like here in the U.S. she does not get the attention deserves.
Brilliant observation about forced jollity at Christmas! I love the works of M R James.
I think it’s important to get the final words of the story right - “Five hundred and one, it counted. Five hundred and two. And three. And four.” The number you quote doesn’t make for the correct rhythm so it loses its menace. Also note that the final sentences mention “the dark tower” so call to mind “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” and the horror of that poem.
I'm so thank full for this video I had to write an essay involving this story and you mentioned things I did not even notice while reading it, it was also very entertaining to watch too :)
I'm so glad!
this was such a great video, thank you so much queen <3
Great analysis! Very deep and interesting...
Thank you!
Fantastic interpretation, thx for the help
Hey, im writing about this story and want to relate to Shirley Jackson and her not leaving her home, and being a housewife. Where did you find this information?
you have some nice expressions. Nice video. I think you are a little nervous
I read this story every year in late August. The ending comes fast and is unsettling. Great video! 😀
Thank you for watching! I'm glad you liked it. August is the perfect time to read The Summer People. As a matter of fact, I think I was a bit premature in posting. Don't you love books and stories you revisit at a specific time each year? Certain works are meant for certain seasons.
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 Totally agree. The Willows is another I try to revisit every year.
Hey, hope you're well. You've probably already seen this one (lithub.com/get-your-first-look-at-the-new-adaptation-of-rebecca-here/) exciting.
Hey there! No I did not! Thanks for sending! I’m looking forward to this. It’s been years since I’ve watched the Hitchcock film. I’ll have to view it again. It’ll be interesting to see the new direction this film takes. October is a perfect release date for it. At least here in the States, it’s when every gets in the mood for darker material.
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 Agree. Only read the book last year. Loved it. Love the atmosphere du Maurier creates. It's stuck with me like a vivid dream smoldering away ever since. I have to say, I'm frightened, and it's only August.
Stephen Routledge What she did with setting and mood is remarkable, isn’t it? It feels as though Manderley itself is a character. Makes sense given her obsession with Menabilly, the estate she used as inspiration. Apparently it was quite a thing.
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 Interesting. I wasn't aware of Menabilly, (thought that was just a condition I suffered from!), so thanks for the info. Great work on the story Vids and great insights as always. Thanks.
Stephen Routledge Oh no! I hear that’s a terrible affliction. LOL. Thank you for watching...and for commenting. It’s nice to know I’m not shouting into the void.
Fantastic post. Thanks! Just read the story for the first time last week and was completely blown away by it. Only just discovered Shirley Jackson about a year and a half ago. Hugely underated writer. Love everything I've read to date. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the work of genius. It makes me wonder whether I have always lived in a castle too.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is one of my favorites! I'm so glad you discovered Jackson. She's incredibly popular here in the States. There's a biopic about her staring Elisabeth Moss that just released. I hope it does Jackson justice. She really was a fascinating person.
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 yes, saw that advertised. Will look out for it. Agree. Fascinating woman Jackson. Just how many of her were there is the question? To me, she is like a prism. Love her writing.
Thanks for this. I loved the first half of this book, but was not so keen on the second half. For that reason, I stopped reading it last year with 10 pages remaining. Is it worth finishing those final pages? I kind of feel as though I should leave it unfinished for the rest of my life so that the sense of mystery is even more acute.
I absolutely understand why you didn’t like the second half. It does feel a bit heavy-handed and loses the beautiful painterly quality of the first part. I think Lindsay was trying so hard to make connections, that she forced it. You can’t leave 10 pages though! Besides, the mystery is only solved in the final chapter that Lindsay’s editor had her remove. The missing chapter is where it gets very strange. Thanks for watching. Now, go finish the book and let me know what you think of the conclusion. LOL
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 Strange and Scary Story Talk, I will try and pluck up the courage to read the last ten pages then in due course. Really interesting insights provided in your talk about her interest in painting. Isn't it strange how art forms can blend? I love Morton Feldman's music, and he loved his painting too, which is fused with his art in a unique way. When people do it well, it provides fascinating results. Lindsay certainly does it well too. The novel feels like a dream; as though time is distorted. It is only short but seems much longer. And the heat and dryness remain long afterwards too...
amazing video. I'm struggling finding what traits Miss Strangeworth has? She's tricky..
Thank you for watching! I would say Mrs. Strangeworth is a bit of a sadist. She also seems to have a God complex. As unlikeable as she is though, I can’t help but feel sorry for her. How about you? There’s a sadness to her character. It’s as if she never grew up , as of the town and her home absorbed her, owned her. I guess there a bit of Hill House here in that regard.
Oooops. Miss Strangeworth. Not. Mrs. LOL.
Strange and Scary Story Talk those are good! I got more of a feeling that she truly believes she is helping “her” townspeople. And she doesn’t realize the gossip and horror she has brought upon the town she loves so dearly. The ending really gave me chills. I felt bad and thought “Did Miss Strangeworth deserve it?” I still wonder if she was aware that her letters were more than “harsh” as she puts it. Thank you for your reply!
@@greytea9722 Thank you for sharing your insights! I love talking lit! As for the question of whether or not she deserved it, I think that is what makes it such a good story. You're left wondering. It is such a difficult question to answer, and, even if you think the retaliation was justified, you can't help but feel sorry for her. She is truly a complex and troubled character.
Thanks very much for this analysis. I've just found your video by chance, after hearing the story for the first time yesterday, again by chance. The Tower is one of the greatest horror shorts I've ever read, without a doubt. It is terrifying on so many different levels. Having experienced similar feelings walking along a narrow cliff edge path many years ago, the story makes my heart race. But it's the numbers, the counting out of the steps as she descends (is she descending?), which makes this so scary. Has she gone beyond the bottom and descending into Hell, is she confused and getting her counting incorrect, or is she merely trapped in insanity forever. Awesome channel 👍 Thanks!
I’m so glad you like the video...and thrilled you discovered The Tower! Isn’t it fantastic? And disturbing??? I wish the story were better known here in the States. I had such difficulty getting a copy of it and, once I did, was compelled to post it online, but then there’s that pesky copyright issue. LOL. Thank you for watching the show!
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 Even though I live in the UK and would like to think I've read a fair bit, I'd never heard of Laski until yesterday; I'd say she's fairly unknown here (not been promoted) Btw, did you find her text on Amazon? I had no such luck on that front... Thanks for your tips on other stories though; I've checked a few of those out. Some great recommendations. I shall stay posted for more. Thanks again!
@@OnceTheyNamedMeiWasnt For some reason I assumed that Laski was more popular in England! What a shame! As for accessing her work here, I had great difficulty finding the text. It is in the Oxford Book of Twentieth Century Ghost Stories which is edited by Michael Cox. I believe it is sold on Amazon. I was so desperate to get my hands on the actual story though that I drove to a library 45 minutes away. It was the only one that had the Cox book. What a pity that it is so difficult to get a hold of great work!
Ms Strangeworth acts like a rose but wounds people with her hidden thorns.
Yes! Well said. She is a devious (and strange one), isn't she?
@@strangeandscarystorytalk8871 yes very
Well, I can't say you didn't make that fit, but why do the roses have to have special symbolism? They're just something important to her which her neighbor attacked because she wrote unkind things about his child. It could have been violence to her cat, or her teacup collection or her pear tree or her lawn jockey. It was a chilling little story, but it wasn't _Moby Dick;_ not every element has to stand for something.
Very insight, I can honestly this story was truly a thriller and the ending, of course, goes without saying by far a perplexing chain of events which lead to the absolute unknown. I wish the story had a definite ending, but we essentially left to speculate and assume the worse.
I agree. You just can't help but think something terrible is going to happen. Unless, of course, you interpret this as a dream or an allegory where the outcome is a bit less sinister than we imagine. Of course, the fact that Oates said that it is inspired by the Charles Schmid murders leads the reader to assume the worst. Thank you for you response to this episode!
Intriguing perspective on a really chilling tale. I've always seen this story as a menacing psychological study. Your focus on the era is fascinating.
Thank you! There's so many layers, so many angles from which to view it. I think it's a brilliant story. Disturbing but brilliant.