Tag Archives: If/Then

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…It’s only February?

I don’t know about you, but it seems that the presidential election has already reached a fever pitch…and there are still nine more months to go….

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For those of you who revel in the election process, who thrive on the political wrangling and debate, we celebrate your good fortune–particularly in these next few days, as the political machine has descended on New Hampshire.  The airwaves, newspapers, and, in general, any public space, seemed full of debate and commentary–and commercials.  Endless commercials….

….And for those who who are very seriously considering hiding in your Officially Library Approved Blanket Fort until November, then you, likewise, have our full support.  Election decisions are difficult enough without the incessant stress that this process can induce in people, and the realization that the whole to-do is only getting started can be more than a little overwhelming…Either way, we at the Library are here to support you with voting assistance, informational resources, or a quiet sanctuary away from it all.

For President, Abram Lincoln. For Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin. (Abraham Lincoln, 1860) Caption: ÒIt seems as if the question whether my first name is ÔAbrahamÕ or ÔAbramÕ will never be settled. It is AbrahamÓ wrote Lincoln in June 1860. However, one campaign banner opted for the shorter and more typographically convenient ÒAbramÓ during one of the must crucial presidential election campaigns in its history. Credit: The Library of Congress

For today’s If/Then post, we are looking to merge the two, by offering you a selection of political films and tv shows to keep you in the election spirit, but ones that are firmly rooted in fiction, to help you escape the realities of this specific race (or at least the commercials!) for a little while.  This list has been curated, hopefully, with a blend of optimism and cynicism to suit any mood or taste.  So, without further ado…

If you’re looking for some election-themed viewing entertainment, Then check out….

2227184The West Wing:  This show had to be at the top of the list.  For many, it was the medium through which they learned how the electoral and judicial process worked, and in Martin Sheen’s performance as President Josiah Bartlett, a generation of young voters found their ideal Commander-In-Chief.  This show also became legendary for Aaron Sorkin’s linguistically complex, lightning-paced scripts that help characters sound better than any human being had a right to do.  All seven seasons of this series makes for ideal binge-watching, but even a season or two are sure to help you escape–and you’ll definitely come away with a wealth of factoids regarding the Presidency that you never knew you needed.

2089533Dave: Part Prince and the Pauper, part political commentary, this utterly quirky and perfectly heart-warming film is an all-around feel-good success.  Kevin Kline stars as Dave Kovic, an idealistic young man who makes some spare money by impersonating President Bill Mitchell.  But when he is called upon to help the President cover-up a personal rendezvous, he finds his job become much more permanent–Mitchell is incapacitated by a stroke, and Dave is forced to assume his duties…and in the process turns Washington upside-down.   There is plenty to be said about the shortcomings of politicians, but Dave’s wide-eyed optimism is enough to calm the most cynical of viewers, and the unexpected romance within this story rounds out a delightful film.

51dLUfhoZJL._SY300_The Thick of It: Fans of British television should not miss this savagely funny series that satirizes politics across the pond.  Centered around the fictitious Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, this show looks at the wild u-turns, bitter feuds, and hysterical side-shows that accompany every government policy and decision.  At the helm is current Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi as one of the most foul-mouthed, ill-tempered anti-heroes in television, who somehow still manages to be weirdly sympathetic.  Fans of Veep on HBO should also keep a sharp eye out for Chris Addison, the show’s current director, as Ollie, one of the most slimiest young upstarts you’ll ever hope to meet.  The cast reunited to make In the Loop, a feature film that shares many similarities with the show, so be sure to check that out, as well.

3326037 (1)Veep: Since we’re on the subject, don’t miss this show, that fans and critics seem to agree is one of the smartest comedies out there.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as former senator Selina Meyer who becomes the erstwhile second-in-command.  Though a British-conceived and produced show (the show’s creator, Armando Iannucci, also created The Thick of It), a number of Washington insiders have commented on the accuracy of the absurdity of it all.  It’s also wildly refreshing to have such an ambiguous female lead in this show, and to have the chance to follow her wild ride to power, and there is no one who can pull this all off better than Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

3378238 (1)House of Cards:  Though based off a British mini-series of the same name, the American version of this show, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, has become the stuff of legends, and given viewers permission to revel in the dark side of politics.  As the conniving Frank Underwood, Spacey’s almost Shakespearean bid for total power is a somewhat-terrifying, but wholly captivating performance that caused my mother to hang up on me whenever I called while it was on.  Best of all, all three seasons of this show are available through the NOBLE Network, so you don’t have to miss a minute!

Happy Viewing, beloved patrons!

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“We must always travel with hope”…A Downton Abbey Edition of If/Then

It’s that time of year again…

 

Downton Abbey season is upon us.

 

And while every season of this marvelous historic drama has been memorial, the knowledge that this is the final season makes every episode, every lingering glance, ever caustic put-down, and every jauntily-angled hat that much more meaningful.  The season has already aired, and ended, in Britain, but we here in the US have only begun to savor our final season of one of the highest-rated shows in the western world.   Since it’s inception, this show has been hailed for its splendid characters, its rich historic setting, and its utterly engaging storylines, and has actually launched a shocking new generation of historical dramas, as production companies desperately try to capitalize on Downton’s success.  Not bad for a drama that deals heavily in the vagaries of British inheritance laws, eh?

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The terrific thing about Downton Abbey, apart from the actual show, is the fact that it has such a vocal fanbase.  I can’t tell you how many delightful chats I’ve had with patrons who are picking up discs of various seasons to watch, or looking for something to tide them over between episodes, or searching for another compelling and transportive show once they’ve returned from a Downton binge.

So, in honor of all those lovely chats, and with the full knowledge that we’ll all soon be casting about for some news shows to savor very soon, here are some suggestions, from both sides of the Circulation Desk, based on the delightful denizens of Downton Abbey…

If you love Downton Abbey, Then be sure to check out:

2629560The Grand:  Like Downton Abbey, it sucks you in with its lovely setting (in this case, a spectacular hotel in downtown Manchester, England, in 1919), and holds you with its complex plots, surprising characters, and shocking twists and turns.  I owe the creator, Russell T. Davis (yup, the same guy who resurrected Dr. Who!), for helping me make friends in college. In the years before Netflix and Youtube (gasp!), this was our binge-watching fodder.  Downton Abbey fans will find the same attention to detail here in spades, and similarly powerful characters, especially as Stephen, the son and heir of The Grand Hotel’s owners, deals with his return from the First World War, and the new world in which he finds himself (in season one, Stephen is played to perfection by future True Blood star Stephen Moyer).  I realize I am rambling right now.  But it’s that terrific a show.  So go watch it, then we can chat.

3679092Peaky Blinders: On the surface, this superb BBC drama (which is now a Netflix production) has much in common with Downton Abbey: a superb cast, spectacular historical detail and costumes, surprisingly and memorable storylines…but on the other, it couldn’t be different.  This series is built around the gangs of Birmingham, England, in the 1920’s–some of the toughest, scariest, and most ruthless criminals in the country.  Their name was based on the fact that they sewed straight razors into the peaks of their caps, so that a single flick of the wrist could actually kill a man.  While not for the feint of heart, this is an addictive show that comes highly recommended.  Best of all, it stars Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who is one of my favorite people, as Tommy, whose voice can chill the blood effortlessly…and Season 2 features a guest appearance by Charlotte Riley, who played Arabella Strange in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell!

3645613The Crimson Field: If, like me, your favorite season of Downton Abbey was the second, featuring the outbreak and experience of the First World War, then this drama of the nurses of the Western Front is for you.  It is very rare to see a story that focuses so much on women in the First World War, and, by and large, this show tells that story exceptionally well.  The French hospital in which these nurses find themselves is a battelfield in and of itself, for the hearts, bodies, and minds of those who must live, work, and suffer in it, and this show doesn’t shy away from the real and painful details of those experiences.  But it also tells stories of triumph and humor and, most importantly, of power for women at a time when women were not (and still are not) properly recognized for their work.

3645616Poldark: I went on (and on) about this show last summer, when the first season aired, but it’s certainly worth mentioning again.  Not only is this an adaptation wholly worthy of Winston Graham’s beloved literary series, it revels in its historical setting, costumes and accents, and doesn’t shy away from the deep complexities of its characters’ relationships.  Season One introduced us all to Ross Poldark, a British soldier who returns from service in the American Revolution to his home in Cornwall, and begins making a life for himself as a mine owner, a caretaker, and a husband.  Happily, for fans of this super series, season 2 is set to air in Britain sometime this summer, so our turn will be coming soon after!

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We watched “Salem’s Lot”, so you don’t have to (but you probably should)

salems-lot-wallpaper-1024x768‘Salem’s Lot–a perennial favorite that we’ve discussed a few times before–was published in 1975, and was quickly hailed as ‘Peyton Place meets Dracula’, a commentary on the rich characterization, the constant and careful attention to setting and detail, and the gradually growing sense of horror and menace that overtakes this otherwise familiar setting.  The novel is an exceptionally current one (King says in the introduction to a later edition that he was always much more a writer of the moment than he wanted to be), with references to the Vietnam War, drugs, the ‘counter-culture’, as well as fashion and social behaviors of the day.

Nevertheless, it was something of a surprise to realize that the film was made only three years later, originally airing on CBS in November of 1979.  It starred  David Soul as Ben Mears…yes, the same David Soul who had just finished playing Hutch in Starsky and Hutch.  One can only assume that this is why he got the part, because Soul looking nothing like the Ben Mears of the books (who resembles King himself, actually).   While things like this were probably jarring to readers (as is the California sets, full of flat-roofed buildings and big, sprawling hills), overall the production was well-received, earning three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for makeup, music, and graphic design.

maxresdefaultIn many ways, the film has also withstood the test of time…the pace is a little uneven, but the parts that are supposed to be scary still pack plenty of punch.  Part of this has to do with the ever-popular jump-scares and musical stings, but there was a good amount of consideration put into making each scenes effective and atmospheric.  Instead of using wires, for example, to keep the vampires airborne, the production staff places the actors on boom cranes, and shot in reverse, so that their movements look as odd as possible.  A simple trick, perhaps, but an effective one.  And there is very little that can prepare a viewer for their first (and second, and third) sight of Barlow, the Big Bad of this story.

This Barlow is not the oily, suave vampire of the Bela Lugosi era, or the tuxedo-ed and seductive vampires that even in the ’70’s were fairly recognizable.  Instead, producer Richard Kobritz explained, “We went back to the old German Nosferatu concept where he is the essence of evil, and not anything romantic or smarmy…I wanted nothing suave or sexual, because I just didn’t think it’d work; we’ve seen too much of it.”  Thus, in this movie, you get a thing out of nightmare: Austrian actor Reggie Nalder as Barlow in monstrous fangs and grotesquely long nails, with glowing yellow eyes (that he could apparently only wear for 15 minute stretches) and a horrible, grating growl.  While this may directly fly in the face of King’s conception of Barlow as a human (or humanoid?) force of evil, in purely aesthetic terms, Nalder’s vampire is much more likely to induce nightmares.

Look, he's in there, and he's really scary. Trust me on this one.
Look, he’s in there, and he’s really scary. Trust me on this one.

Watching this film also drives home how progressive King’s book was.  The Susan Norton of the book is mature, generally sensible, and pretty straightforward about wanting an equitable and respectful relationship.  The Susan of the film (played by Bonnie Bedelia, later of Parenthood and Die Hard fame) is self-deprecating, 1_zpsa0a81e79generally silent, and nearly passive from start to finish…not to mention the fact that the two heroes of this version of the story are Ben, her boyfriend, and her father, making her a weird sort of prize for the two of them, rather than a partner in the vampire-hunting.  In the end, it turns out the film was much more a piece of “the moment” in a way King’s book would never be.

All in all, though, this is definitely a fun and effective Halloween movie that is worth viewing…and for those of you looking for even more blood-curdling films for this Halloween, take a look at these titles:

3540474Nosferatu: The first vampire film is still among the best vampire films.  F.W. Murnau’s silent classic was a blatant rip-off of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which was still under copyright in 1922.  Stoker’s widow, Florence, sued to have all the copies of the film destroyed, but lucky for all of us, some survived.  Watch this with any number of film scores that can be found online for a perfect vintage Halloween.

 

3103090Shadow of the Vampire: Anyone who enjoys Nosferatu will get a kick out of E. Elias Merhige’s (fictional) film about the making of the movie…and the revelation that Max Schrenk, who played the titular villain, was a real-life vampire himself.  Though there are some laughs sprinkled throughout this film, John Malkovich does such a chilling, pitch-perfect impression of Schrenk that it’s hard not to get a case of the shivers while watching him.

 

2707851Let The Right One In:  The inspiration for this film, John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let Me In, is arguably one of the best vampire novels of the past decade, and he also wrote the screenplay for this beautiful and subtly horrifying film version.  Like King’s novel, Lindqvist turns the vampire myth on its head by showing the most innocent, innocuous members of society as the ultimate threat–in this case, a young girl whose power…and hunger…are as compelling as they are terrible.  Like King, too, this novel is also deeply concerned with the evil and violence that men can do, outside of the threat of the paranormal.

 

2908661Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Though arguably the least scary addition to this list, Joss Wheadon was heavily influenced by watching the film of Salem’s Lot, and has cited it several times as his inspiration, both for the little-known film, and for the later series.  The show aired for seven seasons, and had an enormous influence, both over its viewers, and in how it changed the way that TV dramas were made, responding as much to issues of the moment as it  built a world of its own.

 

 

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An All-Hallows Read If/Then Post

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As we mentioned on Monday, the books here at the Library are quietly assembling for All-Hallows Read, a celebration of all things literary, eerie, chilling, and delightful.  Our staff is getting involved, too, selecting some of their favorite spooky reads for your All Hallows Read list.  From the classics to new releases and back again, here are some of our favorite tales…but be sure to stop by any of our displays and pick out a few seasonal tales that tickle your fancy!

If you are looking for a good place to start reading the kind of scary stories that All Hallows Read celebrates, Then be sure to check out:

3606195Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Bone Gap is the story of a boy named Finn who has a particularly difficult time recognizing faces, his brother Sean, and Sean’s girlfriend Roza, a beautiful and peculiar girl who disappears just as mysteriously as she appeared. Finn is the only one who sees her leave, and while the rest of the town of Bone Gap believes she left town in the same way the boys’ mother did years prior, Finn knows that she was kidnapped – but he can’t find a way to describe the kidnapper, nor does anyone in town believe him anyway. Told from alternating points of view, parts of the book read as a strange fairy tale, others as magic realism with just a smidgen of romance. Not scary in the horror sense, Bone Gap is a story of perception that leaves you questioning reality.

2269065The House With A Clock In Its Walls by John Bellairs

When Neil Gaiman makes a recommendation, we here all listen.  But the truth of the matter is that Bellairs is a sensational author for teens and former teens alike.  This particular book features Lewis, who has always wanted to live in an old house full of hidden passageways and secret corridors and when he is taken in by his Uncle Jonathan after the death of his parents, it seems that the world has finally given Lewis his dream come true.  But then Jonathan finds out that his uncle is a wizard…and that the house that they call home was built by a wizard.  A wizard who plotted the end of the world by hiding a clock in the house’s creaky walls.  A clock that has suddenly begun ticking louder and louder….This is a wonderfully fun, delightfully creepy gothic adventure, and is an ideal place to start reading all of Bellairs stellar novels!

2663371The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Jackson’s classic tale is considered one of the best ghost stories of the 20th century, mostly because it doesn’t show much of anything at all, but relies on the reader’s own fears to make it chilling.  Eager to investigate the paranormal activity in the house, Dr. John Montague and Luke Sanderson, heir to the mysterious Hill House, invite a group of people who all have associations with the paranormal.  Only two show up: the flamboyant Theodora, and the shy, bitter Eleanor, around whom this story revolves.  What happens during their stay is never quite clear…but because neither the characters nor the readers are entirely sure who–or what–is causing all the inexplicable happenings at Hill House, the entire book is an unsettling, nightmarish tale that is guaranteed to stay with you long after the final pages have fluttered past.

2644628Dracula by Bram Stoker:

This book established the horror genre, and it stands the test of time.  The quintessential vampire novel (about which we’ve already waxed rhapsodical), Stoker’s masterpiece is told through the letters, diaries, and transcripts of the four main protagonists, giving us up-close insight into their private terrors and secret fears, but also keeps readers from understanding the full scope of Dracula’s horror too soon.  The result is a rich, and a genuinely unsettling story that deserves all the attention it’s got over the years.

2251443‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

I think we’ve already had several discussions about this book, but we should have lots more.  Because this is definitely one of the good Mr. King’s most undersung masterpieces.  It was also inspired by both Dracula and The Haunting of Hill House, so there are added pleasures to be found for those who dare to read these books together.  Ostensibly, ‘Salem’s Lot is the story of a small Maine town that is visited by a vampire.  But it is so much more than that…it’s a love story to New England; its people, its practices, and, especially, its weather.  This book is a perfect fall read all around…but you might want to keep the lights on while you finish it….

 

Happy Reading, and Happy All Hallows Read!

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Saturdays @ the South: The Readers’ Advisory will be televised…

51-Untruths-From-TelevisionI hope loyal readers of this blog have figured out by now that we here at the Peabody Library love books. We love reading, pairing great books with the right reader, defending the reader’s right to read and talking about cool things in the book world. We also love movies (bonus if they’re literary adaptations) and music (especially supporting local artists), but save for a notable exception here and, of course, our evangelist-like proclamations of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, we haven’t talked too much about TV. Since a well-balanced life of artistic pleasures can easily include television, I thought I’d take a post to balance things out a bit and talk about TV shows, with a little help from Dame Maggie Smith as Lady Violet Crawley.

Though the new fall season is approaching, good TV can be had year-round now with some non-traditional networks airing original material during what is typically thought of as the “off” season. This is often particularly true with British television series (*cough* Downton Abbey *cough*) that are run during the “regular” season across the Pond, and then mosey their way over to America just when we’re hankering for something new.

Me too, Lady Crawley.
Me too, Lady Crawley.

If you don’t have a TV/cable, have a tendency to miss when your favorite shows are on, don’t like sitting through commercials or are just plain looking for something different to watch, you can get some great television series, mini-series and special events right here at the library through our DVD collections. Even better, many of our TV collections are loaned out by entire seasons, which makes them ripe and ready for binge-watching!

Clearly, not all of what we love here at the library is based on books. What we truly love is creativity and good stories, and those can be found in just about any medium, including TV. So with the greatest deference to our regular Free-For-All-Blogess, I’m embarking on a television version of an If/Then post: South Branch style.

If your DVR is starting to smoke because your favorite shows returning this fall ended up in the same time slots, or if you’re going through withdrawal because some of your favorite shows aren’t starting until after the fall season (*cough* Downton Abbey *cough*) then here are some suggestions that you might want to try while you’re waiting….

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If you’re looking forward to the final (sniff!) season  of Downton Abbey… Then you might want to try:

3446495The Blandings

If your favorite part of Downton is Dame Maggie Smith’s quips as the family matriarch, meet The Blandings. Described by Publisher’s Weekly as “Downton Abbey gone amok” this funny, irreverent take on the upstairs/downstairs relationship will still leave you pondering about social class, but without all the tears (unless, of course, they’re tears of laughter). This one is a favorite at the South; everyone who checks it out has brought it back talking about how much they laughed.

3220099Call the Midwife

If part of Downton Abbey’s appeal is the gut-wrenching heartache and occasional ugly-cry (why can’t Julian Fellowes just let Mr. Bates and Anna be happy together?), then Call the Midwife might be more to your taste. Exploring the lowest classes in a post-WWII London, this series follows the midwives of Nonnatus House as they guide families through some of the best and worst moments of pregnancy and childbirth. Keep the tissues handy…

If you’re looking forward to the return of The Big Bang Theory… Then you might want to try:

2598729How I Met Your Mother

If you like watching a slightly-awkward guy try to find love surrounded by hilarious and equally hapless friends, give How I Met Your Mother a try. This show ran for 9 seasons, yet somehow flew under the radar of many Big Bang fans, even though many of the themes and much of the humor were similar. While there are plenty of sub-plots and storylines to keep you hooked throughout, prepare yourself for what is essentially a series-long cliffhanger; the show really is about how the main character met his kids’ mother. However, unlike the Sheldon/Amy and Penny/Leonard cliffhanger from Big Bang, you don’t have to wait an entire summer to find out what happens as all 9 seasons of HIMYM are on DVD. This way, you can decide for yourself if the show’s creators made the right choice for the hotly-debated series finale.

If you’re looking forward to season 3 of Broadchurch… Then you might want to try:

3551257The Escape Artist

If you liked the whodunnit suspense of Broadchurch’s first season and the courtroom drama of its second season,The Escape Artist will fill both of those cravings for you. This was a mini-series, but it packs every bit of the same “what just happened here?” punch with its twist ending. Added bonus: it stars Broadchurch’s brilliantly-talented and delightfully-accented David Tennant, who delivers another stellar performance.

If you’re looking forward to Castle returning… Then you might want to try:

2626730Rebus

If you enjoy Castle’s mystery-of-the-week format with the satisfaction of following clues and solving a case at the end of the hour, then you’ll want to check out Rebus. This is a somewhat older British import based on Ian Rankin’s wildly popular Inspector John Rebus books. (OK, so I can’t go totally book-free, I guess.) While Rebus and his his partner DS Siobahn Clarke don’t have the will-they-or-won’t-they chemistry of Beckett and Castle, you’ll still get the same satisfying “case-closed” feeling at the end of the episodes here.

That’s it from the South front this week, dear readers/watchers. Whether you decide to read or watch TV, I wish you a great weekend!

I'll miss Violet Crawley's quips. She has one for everything!
I’m going to miss Violet Crawley’s quips. (sigh)
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Robots can be pretty scary, and other things many readers find unremarkable…

So, in case the world wasn’t big and scary enough for you today, here is an article that made the rounds of my grad school department this week….essentially, some lovely robotics people, who are clearly very smart and terribly good at their jobs, have created a robot that bears an uncanny (and intentional) resemblance to Philip K. Dick, author of the seminal novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, uploaded 20 of his novels, interviews and recordings, and then filmed a conversation with Android Dick.

In and of itself, this story is unsettling for several reasons.  The most scientific of these reasons is that Android Dick exists in “the uncanny valley“.  This term refers to the point where non-human replications of human (3D-animation, robots, etc.,) become so human-like that the human brain gets all creeped-out and wants to crawl in the corner and cry quietly.  The term “valley” itself refers to the dip on a graph that shows people’s comfort levels while looking at various humanoid creations, which you can see below:

450px-Mori_Uncanny_Valley.svg

 

 

Not only does Android Dick’s face look eerily human, but facial recognition software built into that face means that he can analyze your emotions, and react accordingly, blurring the line even further between man and machine.

Android Dick
Android Dick

The second reason this story is unsettling is because of the fact that it became the subject of a copyright kerfluffle, in which people argued that the robotic head of Android Dick spouting phrases and thought inspired from the works of Philip K. Dick was an infringement on the rights of the human (and deceased) Philip K. Dick.  Which implies that Android Dick is making a conscious decision about his words and phrases…which means he has passed the Turing Test–essentially the benchmark for determining if a machine has human intelligence (check out The Imitation Game for more information).

zooThe third reason this story gives me hives is because of the way that Android Dick manipulated the language and rationale that had been programmed into his circuit-board-brain.  In an interview on PBS Nova (which you can watch in its entirety here), Android Dick responded to a question about robots evolving to take over the world thusly:

“Jeez, dude. You all have the big questions cooking today. But you’re my friend, and I’ll remember my friends, and I’ll be good to you. So don’t worry, even if I evolve into Terminator, I’ll still be nice to you. I’ll keep you warm and safe in my people zoo, where I can watch you for ol’ times sake.”

People Zoo.

1136004A number of people with whom I’ve discussed this phrase were horrified.  Horrified.  But, as a fairly regular reader of science fiction, most of which I found at my local library (shameless plug there), I really can’t admit to being that surprised.  After all, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick (the real Philip K. Dick…the one with a pulse…) tells the story of a not-too-distant future (originally 1992, later revised to 2021) where robots–who look precisely like humans–threaten the very fabric of their post-apocalyptic society.  When a down-and-out bounty hunter is sent to track the robots down, they simply blend in with the humans, forcing every character to question who and what they truly know to be ‘real’…you might also recognize this story as the inspiration for the film Blade runner.

But the point is that robots are scary…something which science fiction has been telling us for generations now.  No other species has been so actively engaged in creating their own replacements, in aiding evolution towards their our own inevitable redundancy.   And science fiction has certainly taught us that our grip on the top of the food chain is precarious at best.  H.G. Wells claimed that we would be outdone by ants, while Max Brooks taught us it would be zombie viruses.  The point is less what will kill us, but that we as a species are clearly not that talented at avoiding these ubiquitous threats.  So, rather than acting like my grad school colleagues and weep that the sky is falling, sit back and enjoy the trip with some well-crafted, beautiful, and downright creepy tales of the devices that are coming to get us.  Because I don’t know if Android Dick is going to allow books in the people zoos….

So, IF you want to learn more about the advent of our robot overlords, Then be sure to check out…

2261769I, Robot: No, not the little self-propelled vacuum thingy…which, incidentally, took some inspiration from Isaac Asimov’s classic collection of short stories published in the 1950’s.  These stories are united in the character of Dr. Susan Calvin, who relates each tale as part of an interview on her life and work in the field of robotics to a reporter living at some point in the 21st century after 2058.  Each story can be read alone, but together, they form a fascinating study of human/robot interactions, and the threat that robot ‘psychology’ poses to human civilization.  Also featured in these stories are Asimov’s three Three Laws of Robotics, foundations around which his robot population was constructed, and rules which have been referenced in numerous works since.

2667638R.U.R. (Rossum’s universal robots): Because sometimes, the most disturbing robots are the ones that teach us the most about our own humanity.  This Czech play by Karl Capek, first published in 1920, actually introduced the word “robot” into the English language, features artificial humans much like Dick’s, that were designed to be servants to the humans-with-pulses.  But as their numbers grow, these robots begin to realize that they, in truth, wield the power, and successfully wipe out the human race.  But Capek’s tale is more than imagination–like the best science fiction, it also makes some fascinating observations about the state of humanity after the First World War, and comments directly on the effects of the Fordist assembly lines on workers.

3019420Robopocalypse: Daniel H. Wilson has a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon, so his tale about computer scientists unleashing a supremely-powerful android named Archos is full of real technological details which make it even more chilling.  The post-apocalyptic fight for survival that ensues is gory and far bleaker than Capek’s version of events, but a wonderfully compelling, highly intelligent read (with the lights on, of course.  And away from your computer….), and it’s sequel, Robogenesis.  

21038202001: A Space Odyssey : We’ve all heard about HAL, the diabolically clever computer in charge of Discovery One, the first ship bound for Jupiter, but Stanley Kubrick’s film (based on several short stories from Arthur C. Clarke, which you should also definitely read) has stood the test of time, and is just as haunting, mind-bending, and epic today as when it was released in 1968.  The incredible intelligence of HAL, and the idea that a machine could have such an overarching, complex ulterior motive makes for a story that doesn’t skimp on tension, right up to the final, curious, unsettling scene.  For a somewhat updated expansion on this theme, check out the film Ex Machina, as well!

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“I’m sorry to have deceived you so much, but that’s how life is”: A Word on Unreliable Narrators

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As part of my first-year undergraduate orientation program, we were assigned Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement, a book ostensibly about childhood and growing up, lies and the destruction they can wreak.  Though it wasn’t my particular cup of tea at the time, I could appreciate McEwan’s prose, his ability to capture the tension, fear, and bewilderment of teenagers facing the prospect of growing up, and the hollow despair of an unjust turn of fortune.  I also loved the twist at the end, in which we learnt that the narrator of the book is an unreliable one, and that what we thought was true…wasn’t.

The concept of the Unreliable Narrator is not a new one.  Really, for as long as people have shared stories, they have toyed with the idea of truth and lies.  Aristophanes’ The Frogs, first performed in approximately 405 B.C. is considered the first use of an unreliable narrator, when Dionysus claims to have suck 12 or 13 ships and his slave later states that it happened in a dream.  Numerous tales in the One Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, feature lies, fabrications, and exaggeration in order to make their point.  Many of these tales, however, are fairly up-front about their deceptions, showing the lies for what they are in obvious ways throughout the text.  Other examples of this can be found in stories where children are the narrators, misinterpreting the events around them, or when the books are told through the eyes of ‘madmen’, such as Nikolai Gogol’s Diary of a Madman, which freaked me out so much that I have never been able to re-read it completely.

But there are times when things aren’t so clear-cut.  Other pieces use the Unreliable Narrator far more insidiously, guiding the reader into a false sense of comprehension and understanding, they whipping the proverbial rug out from under their feet.  Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger  is a classic example, taking the readers’ fundamental understanding about how mystery novels “work” and using it against them.  Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is one of the more heart-breakingly moving examples that come to mind, playing on the simple human desire to believe in the fantastic, especially if it offers a glimmer of hope, rather than the banalities of reality.

I personally love books with unreliable narrators.  It forced the reader to rethink the entire work, to rethink and re-conceive a narrative that, on the whole, seemed so simple.  I love that it re-emphasizes the beauty of fiction–talking about things that didn’t happen to people who don’t exist.  The unreliable narrator trope forces us to look at the man behind the curtain, so to speak, to see the puppet’s strings, to acknowledge that we are looking at a facade.  And, if it is done well, in realizing the un-reality of what they are reading, readers can often appreciate even more keenly the beauty of what they believed to be true, and to realize the depth of the relationship that can form between reader and author–people who, most likely, will never ever meet.

But, to my surprise, in a campus-wide discussion on Atonement, the president of my college talked about how genuinely angry she was at the revelations in the books’ final pages.  She felt cheated and painfully manipulated.  For her, and, indeed, for many, as I later learned, the idea of an unreliable narrator was seen as a betrayal of a fundamental trust; when they picked up a work of fiction, they trusted the author to tell “the truth”…even in the midst of a fabricated piece of work.  For many people in this discussion, the revelation of the Unreliable Narrator betrayed the basic premise of story-telling, and, on a grander scale, about why we tell stories at all.  It made me realize how powerful the bond between story-teller and audience truly can be; the act of reading a book implies, for many, an almost religious faith in the veracity of the story-teller, a fact which can often obscure the presence of the reader, their emotional or psychological investment in a story.  By exploiting that trust, the Unreliable Narrator forces us to acknowledge our own presence in the narrative, and our ownership of the characters, the events, and our feelings about them.  And while that isn’t always easy or comfortable, it makes us as a real part in the story…and that, I think is a pretty remarkable feat.

So, IF you who want to explore a few more tales from Unreliable Narrators, THEN here are some suggestions–along with those mentioned above:

2200907Lolita: Perhaps the quintessential Unreliable Narrator of modern fiction, Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert is a liar par excellence.  In desperately trying to exonerate himself, Humbert implicates the reader of his tale by sharing with them his love (love?) for the teenaged Dolores Haze.  Strictly speaking, Humbert is a delusional, controlling, homicidal psychopath.  But in the pages of his confession (but for what crime?!), readers find themselves forgiving him, excusing him, and empathizing with him in a way that is difficult for many to accept.  This is also one of my favorite books of all time, ever, ever, ever, so if anyone wants to discuss, you know where to find me.


2223181 (1)Oscar and Lucinda: Another of my all-time forever favorite books (because I am a book masochist, apparently), this story proves once and for all Peter Carey’s sublime genius.  Because he tells you on the first page what is going to happen, and still manages to dupe you into hoping, scheming, dreaming that the ending of the book will be different.  Oscar is the son of British minister, while Lucinda is the unexpected heiress of an enormous glass factory in Australia.  When their mutual love of gambling brings them together during a steamship crossing, the stage is set for one of the most understated and perfect love stories in literature, as well as one of the most awe-inspiring travel narratives you’ll ever read.

2754084The Turn of the Screw: A truly creepy is-she-insane-or-not type of Unreliable Narrator is at the center of Henry James’ seminal short story.  This is also an example of a ‘found manuscript’ story, as the narrator is presenting a text written by someone else, in this case a deceased governess who was hired to care for a young boy and girl at a country estate in Essex.  Though the job at first seems a simple one, the governess becomes haunted by the tales of the houses’ former inhabitants, and ghostly presences that threaten the children in her care…at least, that’s what she says happened….