I knew I was forgetting one from my list last week, and there could be more before the 2008 Halloween season is over. So again, I am interested to know if any of you have read any of this, and how the movie compares to the book if you have:
In 1957 George Langelaan published a short story, The Fly, which was made into a movie the following year with Vincent Price. (Interestingly, James Clavell, who eventually wrote Shogun (1975) and other historical fiction novels, wrote the screenplay adaptation of for this movie.)
October 20, 2008
October 19, 2008
Of Red Tape and Paper Pushers
Recent events in the news and in my life started me thinking about bureaucracies. I realize that as organizations grow they need to have a structure of some sort with levels of specializations in order to be efficient. Unfortunately, it seems bureaucracies tend to forget their original purpose for being created and become intent on their self-perpetuation and growth for growth’s sake, often eventually undermining the very cause they were initially created for.
If terms such as pencil-pusher, paper-pusher and red tape, didn’t originate because of bureaucracies, they have gained their status and are continually used because of them. At their worse, the people within these organizations become depersonalized cogs in the organizational mechanics.
Bureaucracies set themselves up quite well for satire. Here are some of my favorite books and movies that include bureaucratic elements as part of the story:
Joseph Keller’s Catch 22 was published in 1961, and made into a movie in 1970, and set the standard for lampooning the military bureaucracy. The very phrase “catch 22” is now synonymous with rules and regulations bureaucracies tend to create. After reading it I challenge you to forget characters like Captain
Keith Laumer wrote a dozen or so books and an assorted number of short stories about Jame Retief, a lower level member of the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT) who manages to solve galactic issues in spite of the diplomatic bureaucracy. His superiors always take credit leaving him in the same position. The first book was Envoy to New Worlds (1963) with the last being Retief and the Rascals (1993). Some stories are better and funnier than others, and you can read them in any order.
Douglas Adams published the first book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in series 1978. From what I remember, while commercial and governmental bureaucracy runs throughout all of the books in the Guide itself, the first three (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1978), The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980), and Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)) deal with it more directly.
In 1985, Monty-Python alum Terry Gilliam (the animator and only American in the troupe) released
The Keys of the Kingdom series by Garth Nix, has the main character thrust into the politics of the House (basically the center of the Universe). The first six of seven books have already been published (Mister Monday (2003), Grim Tuesday (2004), Drowned Wednesday (2005), Sir Thursday (2006), Lady Friday (2007), Superior Saturday (2008), and Lord Sunday (2009)). Within these stories, you will encounter characters with titles like “Thesaurus Minimus Second Grade,” and “Primary Paper Pusher on the Extremely Grand Canal,” and “Master Foiler in the Foil Mill of the Guild of Gilding and Illumination.” Every citizen of the House knows exactly what position they fill in rank from the Architect by number. The series started off with a bang, but in subsequent books it sometimes felt like Nix was being weird and clever just for the sake of being weird and clever, but things really started picking up in the last couple of books. The sixth book has some great bureaucratic moments including cubicle-bound sorcerers attacking another who is promoted as her cubicle is physically moved.
As I was looking for any other stories I might have forgotten about, I discovered that science fiction writer Jerry Pournelle created the following "law", which he calls Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy:
In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control and those dedicated to the goals the bureaucracy is supposed to accomplish have less and less influence, and sometimes are eliminated entirely.
It is also stated as:
...in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representative who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions.
(You can read about this Law on several pages on Pournelle’s site, including this one.)
Well, on that note, let me know your thoughts on bureaucracy and your life or our current state of affairs, and if you have read any other books, or seen any television shows or movies that deal with the ridiculousness of organizations that have achieved this level of efficient inefficiency.
October 18, 2008
Movies inspired from Books - Halloween
For several years now, my wife and I go on an annual quest for decent (IE: not necessarily child-friendly, but family-with-teens-friendly), creepy, and suspense and dread-filled movies for Halloween. (On some future post I will go through our experiences and the shows we have liked and not liked.) While we try to find movies we haven't seen, sometimes we watch movies one or both of us haven't seen since we were children and consequently don't remember many details from.
This year I've encountered a couple already that are based on books that I haven't read (yet), and I am having a hard time finding. Anyway, I would be interested to know if any of you have read any of these, how the movies and books compare.
Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), based on the short story or novelette of the same name by Daphne du Maurier from 1952.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (as well a remake from 1978 with the same title starring Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldblum, and The Invasion (2007) with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig) based on the novel The Body Snatchers (1955) by Jack Finney.
[10/19/08 EDIT:I listed a movie I forgot in a new posting here.]
This year I've encountered a couple already that are based on books that I haven't read (yet), and I am having a hard time finding. Anyway, I would be interested to know if any of you have read any of these, how the movies and books compare.
Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), based on the short story or novelette of the same name by Daphne du Maurier from 1952.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (as well a remake from 1978 with the same title starring Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldblum, and The Invasion (2007) with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig) based on the novel The Body Snatchers (1955) by Jack Finney.
[10/19/08 EDIT:I listed a movie I forgot in a new posting here.]
Return to Robinson Crusoe Island
On Friday we had a chance to witness the premiere of the Crusoe series on NBC, based on Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. (Please see my post here for a discussion of the original book). I did not manage to catch much of the two hour show, but I probably won't go out of my way to try to catch the parts I missed, or any of the future episodes.As I suspected from the commercials, the story seems to be a politically-correct, mish-mash of elements of the original story with the Disney Swiss Family Robinson and Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Besides things like a sprawling tree house with anachoristic amenities, various Home Alone-styled booby traps, and sword fights with swaggering, wispy-bearded and bejangled privateers, I also don't remember Crusoe being married or the deserted island having so many visitors. This version also flashes back (ala J.J. Abrams' Lost on ABC) to Crusoe's pre-island childhood and adult life, introducing us to his father, his wife and children, and others.
On its face value, it could be an enjoyable ride. It is certainly a nice looking production.
According to Neilson's overnight ratings, it garnered 4.3% of the households watching television tuning in at some point during its first hour, and 4.7% in the second. During the second hour it had the highest ratings of all shows that hour, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks.
If it is successful, I wonder if he will ever get off the island as the members of Oceanic Flight 815 will (maybe it will have flash-forwards as well), or if he will be perpetually stuck there much as the castaways from the S.S. Minnow were.
October 15, 2008
Tim Burton on Alice in Wonderland & more
If you didn't already know, Tim Burton is working on a 3D, motion-capture movie of Lewis Carroll's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland due out in 2010. In this version, Johny Depp is the Mad Hatter and Anne Hathaway is the Queen of Hearts.
In this interview, Burton talks about being awarded the Immortal Award at the Scream 2008 Awards, Batman movies, Johnny Depp, and other film versions of Alice in Wonderland. In it, Burton also discusses how much of his work is based on movies from books he watched while growing up.
Enjoy.
[10/18/08 EDIT - I have come across conflicting reports on the type of movie it will be, live action, CGI or a combination so I am not sure of the format. If any of you have an official link, let us know.]
In this interview, Burton talks about being awarded the Immortal Award at the Scream 2008 Awards, Batman movies, Johnny Depp, and other film versions of Alice in Wonderland. In it, Burton also discusses how much of his work is based on movies from books he watched while growing up.
Enjoy.
[10/18/08 EDIT - I have come across conflicting reports on the type of movie it will be, live action, CGI or a combination so I am not sure of the format. If any of you have an official link, let us know.]
October 13, 2008
Happy 50th Paddington! (and thoughts about anniversaries)
Just a quick note to acknowledge that 50 years ago today that Michael Bond's first book featuring the bear from "darkest Peru" was published. Bond went on to write 13 more books with Paddington, as well as other books for children and adults.The original Paddington books were illustrated by Peggy Fortnum in black and white, with others, including her niece, adding color. Others provided illustrations for versions of Paddington stories for younger readers, and R.W. Alley illustrated Paddington in the 1990's as well as providing new covers for the original books.
There have been three animated TV series featuring Paddington. The first one from 1975 was different in that Paddington himself was a 3 dimensional character animated with stop-motion, while the backgrounds and other characters were two dimensional. The backgrounds were black and white line drawings. There is a full-length feature film in the works with Paddington done in three dimensional computer animation which will be combined with live action footage.
While not on the same scale of A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, with all of the Disney marketing might behind him, you can still find a wide range of Paddington-licensed products, including games, toys and clothes. According to wikipedia, you can find street vendors selling hand-made Paddington Bear finger puppets on the shores of Lake Titicaca in Peru.
You can read more, and keep up with the latest Paddington news on his official website www.paddingtonbear.co.uk.
Fifty years is an impressive amount of time for a character to remain popular, especially if you look at how many characters are created in children's books alone each and every year. For any character to survive in this day and age, they need to have TV or movie exposure as well. A healthy dose of merchandising doesn't hurt either, but it doesn't guarantee longevity either.
I wonder though, when do we recognize the anniversary of the creator's birth (or death) and when do we focus on the creation's first appearance? Or in some cases do we do both? Who is it that decides - descendants, publishers, copyright and trademark holders, fan clubs, official societies, cities where the person was born or lived? My gut feeling is that those who have the most at stake financially, and the greatest opportunity to make money are ultimately the ones who have the incentive and the resources to organize and publicize these types of events.
Do we need to wait until the author or illustrator is dead, or even dead a certain number of years before we start celebrating them instead of the work? Michael Bond is still alive, which could be why the focus is on Paddington. Should we expect Charles Dickens' festivals in 2012 recognizing his 200th birthday? Where there any events around J.R.R. Tolkien's 100th birthday in 1992? Perhaps Tolkien does or did not have the cultural acceptance that traditional children's or non-fantasy authors have, or we needed to wait until The Lord of the Rings was made into movies for him to achieve this iconic status. Maybe anniversary events in general have only taken off in popularity after 1992.
Does it depend on the scope of the author or illustrator's work , meaning if only one of the the author's works has made any lasting impression on our cultures or society we focus on that? Using Paddington as an example again, Bond created other characters, including a guinea pig named Olga da Polga in a series of children's books and Monsieur Pamplemousse in an adult mystery series, who aren't as well known - so perhaps the focus will always be on Paddington. Peter Pan, James M. Barrie's most well-known creation, had a 100th anniversary in 2004 (which is when the play premiered, not the book in 1911), but I haven't heard of anything for Barrie himself. Maybe in 2043 we will have celebrations recognizing 200 years of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, if someone deems Scrooge and company warrant special notice above and beyond Dickens' other works. I guess we will either have to wait and see, or start something ourselves.
Anyway, make yourself a marmalade sandwich and let me know if you know of any rhyme or reason to these celebrations and what you think of these anniversaries in principle.
Let Your Hair Down
While I haven't avoided reading variations of the the Brothers Grimm Rapunzel fairy tale (first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales), I have honestly not actively sought them out either.
In my attempts to keep up with books published by authors with Utah ties I read Shannon and Dean Hales' Rapunzel's Revenge (2008).
This graphic novel, illustrated by Nathan Hale (which every single reference you encounter will point out is no relation to the Shannon and her husband Dean) is a fun amalgamation of the Rapunzel story, with Jack and the Beanstalk, as well as other traditional fairy-tale and fantasy elements - all mashed together in a western setting with a various western twists. The Hales actually draw upon many of the overlooked, yet still child-friendly elements of the original fairy tale. The art is good and the layouts varied but easy to follow, although Rapunzel's face is inconsistent. Being a graphic novel, it is a rather quick read.
I get a little hesitant to read some of these modern interpretations of fairy tales where the female characters traditionally have been "damsels in distress" because the authors tend to swing the other way making all the male characters buffoons. This is not the case here - it is a well balanced book.
After reading this western telling of the tale (which I wouldn't be surprised if it is followed by sequels or companion books with similar takes of other fairy tales), I did a little research online. Wikipedia has some interesting tidbits, including a note that the story 'Of Beren and Luthien' in The Silmarillion (1977) by J.R.R. Tolkien seems to draw upon this tale. I didn't know that there is a Rapunzel Syndrome caused by the consumption of hair. Having younger daughters, I knew about the computer animated Barbie version, but I didn't know that Disney was working on a new, animated version with the working title Rapunzel Unbraided due out in 2010. I had forgotten that Rapunzel was in Shrek the Third (2007), and she is a character in Into the Woods (1986 - music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine).
In fact, you can see Into the Woods at the Hale Center Theatre in Salt Lake City from October 1st through November 29th. Click here for more information if you are interested.
Back to my research, I also encountered a new, favorite website for me - www.surlalunefairytales.com. While it has only covered nearly fifty fairy tales so far, for those tales it has the most complete listing of commentaries, illustrations, modern interpretations of, history of, related websites, etc. for those stories. You can even read annotated versions of the stories. Here is the link to the Rapunzel section on Sur La Lune.
One of the reasons that I don't think I ever really liked the basic story is that I couldn't understand why Rapunzel didn't figure out she could use her hair to escape herself since she did let the witch and prince use it to climb up the tower. I guess we could give her the benefit of the doubt since she was raised by a person who might not have let her develop these capabilities for deductive reasoning, but she managed to figure plenty out on her own once the witch cast her out.
OK, lets accept the fact that Rapunzel just didn't make that connection. This makes the prince a complete and utter cad. He should have figured it out. If you read the original version he only suggests that each time he visits he brings a little silk and eventually they will build a latter so she can escape.
In the sanitized version, the witch discovers Rapunzel has been seeing the prince because one time after bringing the witch up Rapunzel comments off-handedly that the witch is not as easy to lift up as the prince. In the original version, Rapunzel off-handedly remarks to the witch that her clothes are getting tight around her waist. Yes, Rapunzel was pregnant meaning that the young, handsome prince was keeping her up in the tower so he could take advantage of her and her naiveté. Yet no one ever complains about the princes' behavior or intentions in this fairy tale.
That being said, enjoy these family-friendly video versions of Rapunzel:
Ray Harryhausen did an 11 minute stop-action animated version back in the 1940's
Jay Ward's Fractured Fairy Tale version on the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show (1959+)
Lastly, Kermit the Frog reported on the breaking Rapunzel story from Sesame Street.
In my attempts to keep up with books published by authors with Utah ties I read Shannon and Dean Hales' Rapunzel's Revenge (2008).
This graphic novel, illustrated by Nathan Hale (which every single reference you encounter will point out is no relation to the Shannon and her husband Dean) is a fun amalgamation of the Rapunzel story, with Jack and the Beanstalk, as well as other traditional fairy-tale and fantasy elements - all mashed together in a western setting with a various western twists. The Hales actually draw upon many of the overlooked, yet still child-friendly elements of the original fairy tale. The art is good and the layouts varied but easy to follow, although Rapunzel's face is inconsistent. Being a graphic novel, it is a rather quick read.
I get a little hesitant to read some of these modern interpretations of fairy tales where the female characters traditionally have been "damsels in distress" because the authors tend to swing the other way making all the male characters buffoons. This is not the case here - it is a well balanced book.
After reading this western telling of the tale (which I wouldn't be surprised if it is followed by sequels or companion books with similar takes of other fairy tales), I did a little research online. Wikipedia has some interesting tidbits, including a note that the story 'Of Beren and Luthien' in The Silmarillion (1977) by J.R.R. Tolkien seems to draw upon this tale. I didn't know that there is a Rapunzel Syndrome caused by the consumption of hair. Having younger daughters, I knew about the computer animated Barbie version, but I didn't know that Disney was working on a new, animated version with the working title Rapunzel Unbraided due out in 2010. I had forgotten that Rapunzel was in Shrek the Third (2007), and she is a character in Into the Woods (1986 - music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine).
In fact, you can see Into the Woods at the Hale Center Theatre in Salt Lake City from October 1st through November 29th. Click here for more information if you are interested.
Back to my research, I also encountered a new, favorite website for me - www.surlalunefairytales.com. While it has only covered nearly fifty fairy tales so far, for those tales it has the most complete listing of commentaries, illustrations, modern interpretations of, history of, related websites, etc. for those stories. You can even read annotated versions of the stories. Here is the link to the Rapunzel section on Sur La Lune.
One of the reasons that I don't think I ever really liked the basic story is that I couldn't understand why Rapunzel didn't figure out she could use her hair to escape herself since she did let the witch and prince use it to climb up the tower. I guess we could give her the benefit of the doubt since she was raised by a person who might not have let her develop these capabilities for deductive reasoning, but she managed to figure plenty out on her own once the witch cast her out.
OK, lets accept the fact that Rapunzel just didn't make that connection. This makes the prince a complete and utter cad. He should have figured it out. If you read the original version he only suggests that each time he visits he brings a little silk and eventually they will build a latter so she can escape.
In the sanitized version, the witch discovers Rapunzel has been seeing the prince because one time after bringing the witch up Rapunzel comments off-handedly that the witch is not as easy to lift up as the prince. In the original version, Rapunzel off-handedly remarks to the witch that her clothes are getting tight around her waist. Yes, Rapunzel was pregnant meaning that the young, handsome prince was keeping her up in the tower so he could take advantage of her and her naiveté. Yet no one ever complains about the princes' behavior or intentions in this fairy tale.
That being said, enjoy these family-friendly video versions of Rapunzel:
Ray Harryhausen did an 11 minute stop-action animated version back in the 1940's
Jay Ward's Fractured Fairy Tale version on the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show (1959+)
Lastly, Kermit the Frog reported on the breaking Rapunzel story from Sesame Street.
October 12, 2008
Odds & Ends: Events and Local Theater
You can see Jay Richards' musical version of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women in Logan this October 16th through October 25th at the Ellen Eccles Theatre in Logan. Click here for more information.
Also in Logan, Monday October 13th through Saturday the 18th you can see the another side of Shakespeare's Hamlet at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (by Tom Stoppard) at Utah State University Chase Fine Arts Center. Click here for more details.
Pinnacle Acting Company is performing William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet October 16th through October 25th at the Highland High Little Theater in Salt Lake City. Click here for more information.
In Provo you can watch a stage production of Henry Jame's Turn of the Screw at the Covey Center October 16th through November 1st. Click here for more information.
Lastly, also in the Halloween vein, you can see the 1925 silent movie The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney at the Organ Loft in Salt Lake City October 22nd, 23rd and 24th. (Click here for more information.) This version follows the original 1910 story by Gaston Leroux much closer than the popular Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already seen it - especially with live organ accompaniment much like it was originally performed is an experience (and at $5 a ticket, it is a bargain to boot).
Also in Logan, Monday October 13th through Saturday the 18th you can see the another side of Shakespeare's Hamlet at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (by Tom Stoppard) at Utah State University Chase Fine Arts Center. Click here for more details.
Pinnacle Acting Company is performing William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet October 16th through October 25th at the Highland High Little Theater in Salt Lake City. Click here for more information.
In Provo you can watch a stage production of Henry Jame's Turn of the Screw at the Covey Center October 16th through November 1st. Click here for more information.
Lastly, also in the Halloween vein, you can see the 1925 silent movie The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney at the Organ Loft in Salt Lake City October 22nd, 23rd and 24th. (Click here for more information.) This version follows the original 1910 story by Gaston Leroux much closer than the popular Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already seen it - especially with live organ accompaniment much like it was originally performed is an experience (and at $5 a ticket, it is a bargain to boot).
October 10, 2008
Changing the World
What book of fiction sold more copies than any other in 1998? Who won the Newberry Award or any of the Hugo Awards in 1978? I doubt many of us could answer these without really trying to think it through or by researching it online. Books that make headlines today, especially fiction, more often not eventually fade from memory (except for those working in libraries and the publishing industry).
A few authors create characters that outlive them for decades and centuries. You could probably find a fair share of people who could recognize Long John Silver, Sherlock Holmes or Pollyanna even though they never actually read
Some books become regional, national or international forces – which in our day equates to spawning movies, games, and toys, becoming targets for parodies and copy-cat efforts. They may have the positive effect of reinvigorating genres, increasing interest in reading and possibly even helping to foster careers in writing, acting and other story-telling related industries.
Regardless of the media hoopla, or lack there of, around any given book you have probably read a book or two that affected you, changing your life to some degree. There is the motivational poster that says something like “A mind once stretched can no longer return to its original shape.” Fiction can definitely stretch our minds, but not always in ways that are quantifiable. It would be interesting to find out how many people do selected their course of study or their chosen profession because of characters or concepts they encountered in books of fiction.
Novels can change our opinions about issues or cause us to reexamine, shift, or define our perceptions about an issue or principle, but typically these are on small and personal levels. Perhaps while enjoying a book for its story or characters, you learn something new or understand something better. As a trivial example, even though I had never covered mitochondria in any of my classes previously, I was able to correctly answer questions about it a standardized test in high school because I read Madeleine L’Engles’ A Wind in the Door (1973).
Occasionally a work of fiction moves beyond affecting individuals in individual ways, and affects communities and cultures. Their books not only work on a level with plots, settings and characters, but the ideas or concepts worked intentionally or unintentionally into the story, or discussion about those ideas, take on a larger life.
If done well, the story continues to be read even after society has changed because it tells a universal story. More often than not, if an author writes with the sole intention to change people, they don’t. And typically if they do, their book is quickly forgotten after their issue passes from focus and new problems capture the attention of the public.
While you could argue that whenever there is change, other social, political, and economic forces were at work at the same time and that something might have happened without these books, the popularity of the stories themselves can be a catalyst.
I can think of four examples of fictional books that had long-lasting or far-reaching effects.
In the midst of the Industrial Revolution in
It is said that when Harriet Beecher Stowe met with Abraham Lincoln near the beginning of the Civil War it is said he said something along the lines of “So this is the little lady who made this big war”, referring to her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852).
Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty (1877) is told from the horse’s point of view. One of Black Beauty’s complaints is being subjected to the checkrain – a common practice of the time which forced horses pulling carriages to keep their heads up. Shortly after its publication, the practice was banned and the popularity of this book is attributed to the change.
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) resulted in drastically decreased meat sales and consequently the meat packing industry welcomed government regulation to instill confidence in the packaging process – even though Sinclair wanted more, including better conditions and wages for the employees.
We are still faced with many issues, but I can not think of any other books that have these types of effects, although maybe Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975) could qualify. Perhaps it is too soon to know the actual, long-term consequences for any published more recently, or maybe books have simply lost this force in our culture and movies or TV have the reach and power that books once had.
I realize my horizons are limited and would love to hear of any others that you are familiar with, or what your thoughts are on this subject.
October 9, 2008
Halloween Parallel Stories
I recently discovered that Science Fiction and Fantasy author Fred Saberhagen wrote The Dracula Tape (1975), a version of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) from Dracula's point of view. In it Dracula survives Van Helsing and Harker's attack, and Saberhagen went on to write another nine books with Dracula as the main character. In fact, in the rest of series Dracula encounters several other fictional characters, including, in the second book The Holmes-Dracula File (1978), Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
With the success of his Dracula series, Saberhagen also wrote The Frankenstein Papers (1986), which continues the story of Frankenstein's monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) retelling the original story from the monster's point of view as excerpts from his journal. Apparently, the monster even meets Benjamin Franklin in Paris as part of the story.
So there are a couple of books you can look for this Halloween season if you are interested. I haven't read either of them so anyone has read them, or does, let us know what you think about them. (Click here it see my previous post on other parallel stories.)
With the success of his Dracula series, Saberhagen also wrote The Frankenstein Papers (1986), which continues the story of Frankenstein's monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) retelling the original story from the monster's point of view as excerpts from his journal. Apparently, the monster even meets Benjamin Franklin in Paris as part of the story.
So there are a couple of books you can look for this Halloween season if you are interested. I haven't read either of them so anyone has read them, or does, let us know what you think about them. (Click here it see my previous post on other parallel stories.)
October 5, 2008
My Big, Fat Greek Post
We just can't seem to get away from our western heritage -not that it is necessarily a bad thing, but when done poorly I am sure there are many an ancient Greek turning in their graves.
I went through a Greek Myth phase after encountering and being enthralled by the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire - 1962) in my elementary school library. This opened my interest in myths from other countries and cultures. I started running into mythological characters like Hercules in movies and comic books. When DC Comics had George Perez reboot Wonder Woman, he took her back to her Greek roots with major arcs involving gods and creatures from Greek myths while he was involved in the title from 1987 to 1992.
As I have mentioned before, Jim Henson's Storyteller (1987) series is one of my favorites. The second season of covered four Greek Myths. Michael Gambon, who took over the role of Professor Dumbledore after Richard Harris died, is the story-teller in these four episodes.
Watching Star Trek reruns with my dad, I remember seeing the episode Who Mourns for Adonais (1967) in which Captain Kirk and company encounter a being who claims to be Apollo, the last of the Greek Gods.
Eventually I read Homer's Iliad (ca 800 BC) and the Odyssey (ca 800 BC), as well as Edith Hamilton's Mythology (1942), among other books that included Greek myths. Knowing even the basic myths, you begin to see their influence in stories everywhere. I would bet that at least 80% of fantasy games (especially role playing and video games) and fantasy stories include creatures, plots and characters from, or inspired by, those in Greek myths.
As a child I became a fan of Ray Harryhausen movies, many of which draw upon mythological creatures and stories. In his Clash of the Titans (1981), we actually get to see the Greek gods messing around directly with the lives of mere mortals, or at least half-mortals and the mortals they are involved with. As with most projects Harryhausen has been involved in, he took many liberties with the actual myths. In spite of these changes, it is still fun to watch - especially the imaginative interpretations of most of the creatures. It is also interesting to picture Laurence Olivier as Zeus (although he is underwhelming in this role), Ursula Andress as Aphrodite and Maggie Smith, who went on to play Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, as Thetis. According to IMDB, there is a remake of this in production that is due to be released in 2010, for what that is worth.
Earlier this summer, I had the chance to play Risk: Godstorm. It is a great variation of the classic Risk board game set in ancient Europe and, among other modifications, players get to use gods from the Greek, Egyptian, Norse and other pantheons to affect the play of the game. A couple of other twists include the ability to draw troops back from the afterlife and the opportunity to sink Atlantis - killing any armies on it and taking it completely out of play for the rest of the game.
For a fun, quick, twisted light read, or if you are looking for something a six to eleven year-old would like that includes Greek gods, try Its All Greek To Me (2001), book 8 in the Time Warp Trio series written by Jon Scieska and illustrated by Lane Smith. It follows the exact same formula as the rest of the books, but instead of just traveling through time, Fred, Sam and Joe end up dealing with the gods on Mount Olympus. It includes a glossary of gods and monsters with a pronunciation guide.
Right now I am in the middle of Rick Riordan's young adult series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I read the first one, The Lightening Thief (2005), out of curiosity, with mild to strong recommendations from a few people I knew. The idea behind the series is that the Greek gods still exist and meddle in human affairs, which intrigued me. The gods, monsters and other creatures followed western civilization to the United States of America, but we don't recognize them due to a combination of a magical mist and our own unbelief. There is a summer camp for the various half-bloods the gods continue to sire.
I was not really impressed with the first book - I found elements of the plot awkward as it tried to cleverly force Greek monsters into modern-day settings, all while attempting to be a Harry Potter-type story without being Harry Potter (as I mentioned in this previous post). I ended up reading the second book, The Sea of Monsters (2006), anyway and I felt it was better than the first. It didn't consistently force the Greek elements, but it did still suffer being in Harry Potter's shadow. On the other hand, it fleshed out many of the characters from the first, introducing new characters that seemed to start off being more likable.
I just finished the third book, The Titan's Curse (2007), and it feels like Riordan has finally hit his stride. This was the best, most original book of the series so far. Everything feels organic and unforced, the characters and events flow naturally and I really started to care for all of the characters.I hope The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008), the fourth book, doesn't fall back into any previous patterns, and that The Last Olympian, the final book due out next May, continues along an original path, free of the problems that plagued the first two books.
At this point, I would recommend this series to those who are new to Greek mythology, or those who enjoy seeing slightly different interpretations of familiar characters and ideas from traditional stories. (If you do read these, keep in mind they are written for tweens and if you are older and have read this type of story before, you will be able to foresee how some of the elements will be resolved, but starting with the third book I experienced a few more pleasant surprises.)
If you are enjoy stories that include the Greek gods, and you have already read or seen these that I have mentioned, the CW network has another show you might be interested in. This series, Valentine, premiered Sunday night on the CW (you can watch it on Sunday nights at 8/7 Central for as long as it lasts). In it, Aphrodite, Hercules, Eros and others are undercover in modern-day Los Angeles and have to help others fall in love or they risk becoming mortal.
It reminds me of the short-lived ABC series Cupid (1998-1999) in which Jeremy Piven played a character who claimed to be cupid, sent among mortals to help 100 couples as penance. As Cupid only ran one season we never found out if he was, or not cupid after all.
If you are drawn to stories with the Greek gods, but a romantic comedy like Valentine doesn't really pull you in, you can always watch any of the five stand alone made for TV shows in 1994 starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules, or episodes of the subsequent series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995-1999) or Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001). In fact, there have been dozens of movies and TV shows with Hercules and consequently the Greek gods, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's unforgettable (and embarrassingly, badly dubbed and acted) movie debut Hercules in New York (1970).
I think these stories and characters are, and will continue to be used over and over and over again because they are recognizable and they are in the public domain - so there are no royalties to pay or copyrights to worry about.
In the sea of many poorly done versions of Hercules and Greek Myths, Disney's Hercules (1997) stands out and is one of my favorite animated Disney movies in the post-Little Mermaid period. Besides some great songs, and a story that works on several levels, it also has Charlton Heston as the narrator, Rip Torn as Zeus, Paul Schaffer as Hermes and James Woods perfectly plays Hades. It is not perfect show - I could have done with smaller doses of Danny DeVito, but it is better than most movies that are out there.
Mentioning Hercules actually brings up an observation I've made. In reality, if these are stories with Greek gods, shouldn't it be Heracles - his Greek name as opposed to Hercules, the Roman version? Or, if he is going to be called Hercules, shouldn't we also call Zeus "Jupiter", and Hermes "Mercury" in the same stories? Over time it seems we have combined the Greek and Roman names, preferring some over others and interchanging the two sets. You can even see this in the latest incarnation of Battlestar Galactica (2003+) where the gods mostly have Greek names (like Zeus and Ares), yet some places or items use the Roman names Jupiter and Mars. I would bet that eventually, in popular usage it is going to be a mix of the two and most people won't even realize it.
I am sure I have missed stories with the Greek gods, so please let me know if there are any that you have liked (or hated), or if you have any thoughts about Roman versus Greek names.
I went through a Greek Myth phase after encountering and being enthralled by the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire - 1962) in my elementary school library. This opened my interest in myths from other countries and cultures. I started running into mythological characters like Hercules in movies and comic books. When DC Comics had George Perez reboot Wonder Woman, he took her back to her Greek roots with major arcs involving gods and creatures from Greek myths while he was involved in the title from 1987 to 1992.
As I have mentioned before, Jim Henson's Storyteller (1987) series is one of my favorites. The second season of covered four Greek Myths. Michael Gambon, who took over the role of Professor Dumbledore after Richard Harris died, is the story-teller in these four episodes.
Watching Star Trek reruns with my dad, I remember seeing the episode Who Mourns for Adonais (1967) in which Captain Kirk and company encounter a being who claims to be Apollo, the last of the Greek Gods.
Eventually I read Homer's Iliad (ca 800 BC) and the Odyssey (ca 800 BC), as well as Edith Hamilton's Mythology (1942), among other books that included Greek myths. Knowing even the basic myths, you begin to see their influence in stories everywhere. I would bet that at least 80% of fantasy games (especially role playing and video games) and fantasy stories include creatures, plots and characters from, or inspired by, those in Greek myths.
As a child I became a fan of Ray Harryhausen movies, many of which draw upon mythological creatures and stories. In his Clash of the Titans (1981), we actually get to see the Greek gods messing around directly with the lives of mere mortals, or at least half-mortals and the mortals they are involved with. As with most projects Harryhausen has been involved in, he took many liberties with the actual myths. In spite of these changes, it is still fun to watch - especially the imaginative interpretations of most of the creatures. It is also interesting to picture Laurence Olivier as Zeus (although he is underwhelming in this role), Ursula Andress as Aphrodite and Maggie Smith, who went on to play Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, as Thetis. According to IMDB, there is a remake of this in production that is due to be released in 2010, for what that is worth.
Earlier this summer, I had the chance to play Risk: Godstorm. It is a great variation of the classic Risk board game set in ancient Europe and, among other modifications, players get to use gods from the Greek, Egyptian, Norse and other pantheons to affect the play of the game. A couple of other twists include the ability to draw troops back from the afterlife and the opportunity to sink Atlantis - killing any armies on it and taking it completely out of play for the rest of the game.
For a fun, quick, twisted light read, or if you are looking for something a six to eleven year-old would like that includes Greek gods, try Its All Greek To Me (2001), book 8 in the Time Warp Trio series written by Jon Scieska and illustrated by Lane Smith. It follows the exact same formula as the rest of the books, but instead of just traveling through time, Fred, Sam and Joe end up dealing with the gods on Mount Olympus. It includes a glossary of gods and monsters with a pronunciation guide.
Right now I am in the middle of Rick Riordan's young adult series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I read the first one, The Lightening Thief (2005), out of curiosity, with mild to strong recommendations from a few people I knew. The idea behind the series is that the Greek gods still exist and meddle in human affairs, which intrigued me. The gods, monsters and other creatures followed western civilization to the United States of America, but we don't recognize them due to a combination of a magical mist and our own unbelief. There is a summer camp for the various half-bloods the gods continue to sire.
I was not really impressed with the first book - I found elements of the plot awkward as it tried to cleverly force Greek monsters into modern-day settings, all while attempting to be a Harry Potter-type story without being Harry Potter (as I mentioned in this previous post). I ended up reading the second book, The Sea of Monsters (2006), anyway and I felt it was better than the first. It didn't consistently force the Greek elements, but it did still suffer being in Harry Potter's shadow. On the other hand, it fleshed out many of the characters from the first, introducing new characters that seemed to start off being more likable.
I just finished the third book, The Titan's Curse (2007), and it feels like Riordan has finally hit his stride. This was the best, most original book of the series so far. Everything feels organic and unforced, the characters and events flow naturally and I really started to care for all of the characters.I hope The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008), the fourth book, doesn't fall back into any previous patterns, and that The Last Olympian, the final book due out next May, continues along an original path, free of the problems that plagued the first two books.
At this point, I would recommend this series to those who are new to Greek mythology, or those who enjoy seeing slightly different interpretations of familiar characters and ideas from traditional stories. (If you do read these, keep in mind they are written for tweens and if you are older and have read this type of story before, you will be able to foresee how some of the elements will be resolved, but starting with the third book I experienced a few more pleasant surprises.)
If you are enjoy stories that include the Greek gods, and you have already read or seen these that I have mentioned, the CW network has another show you might be interested in. This series, Valentine, premiered Sunday night on the CW (you can watch it on Sunday nights at 8/7 Central for as long as it lasts). In it, Aphrodite, Hercules, Eros and others are undercover in modern-day Los Angeles and have to help others fall in love or they risk becoming mortal.
It reminds me of the short-lived ABC series Cupid (1998-1999) in which Jeremy Piven played a character who claimed to be cupid, sent among mortals to help 100 couples as penance. As Cupid only ran one season we never found out if he was, or not cupid after all.
If you are drawn to stories with the Greek gods, but a romantic comedy like Valentine doesn't really pull you in, you can always watch any of the five stand alone made for TV shows in 1994 starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules, or episodes of the subsequent series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995-1999) or Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001). In fact, there have been dozens of movies and TV shows with Hercules and consequently the Greek gods, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's unforgettable (and embarrassingly, badly dubbed and acted) movie debut Hercules in New York (1970).
I think these stories and characters are, and will continue to be used over and over and over again because they are recognizable and they are in the public domain - so there are no royalties to pay or copyrights to worry about.
In the sea of many poorly done versions of Hercules and Greek Myths, Disney's Hercules (1997) stands out and is one of my favorite animated Disney movies in the post-Little Mermaid period. Besides some great songs, and a story that works on several levels, it also has Charlton Heston as the narrator, Rip Torn as Zeus, Paul Schaffer as Hermes and James Woods perfectly plays Hades. It is not perfect show - I could have done with smaller doses of Danny DeVito, but it is better than most movies that are out there.
Mentioning Hercules actually brings up an observation I've made. In reality, if these are stories with Greek gods, shouldn't it be Heracles - his Greek name as opposed to Hercules, the Roman version? Or, if he is going to be called Hercules, shouldn't we also call Zeus "Jupiter", and Hermes "Mercury" in the same stories? Over time it seems we have combined the Greek and Roman names, preferring some over others and interchanging the two sets. You can even see this in the latest incarnation of Battlestar Galactica (2003+) where the gods mostly have Greek names (like Zeus and Ares), yet some places or items use the Roman names Jupiter and Mars. I would bet that eventually, in popular usage it is going to be a mix of the two and most people won't even realize it.
I am sure I have missed stories with the Greek gods, so please let me know if there are any that you have liked (or hated), or if you have any thoughts about Roman versus Greek names.
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