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Transcript of 3134 Module 4
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Linda McDaniel
English 3134
Ms. Carter
Poppy Z. Brite, author of the gothic short stories Xenophobia and Angels,
leaves much to be desired in her contributions to the supernatural genre. WhileBrite
exhibits classic characteristics ofsupernatural literature in her works, she seems to do little
to contribute to the evolution of this particular type
of literature. Her writing ability is undoubtedly above average,
and her atmosphere is sufficient; still, she offers no plot
or narrative drive and any psychological element is non-existent.
Those things that remain appear to be desperate, un-cohesive
attempts to feign a horror story with whatever shock and
grotesque she can create.
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http://www.poppyzbrite.com/http://www.poppyzbrite.com/http://www.poemuseum.org/index.phphttp://www.poppyzbrite.com/http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php -
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To understand where Brites work should be in the
supernatural evolution, we must first reflect on the place from where it came. The
pioneers of supernatural literature created their tales based on a few certain essentials:
Puppet characters
Creepy scenes
Supernatural incidents
These fundamentals are found in the writings ofHorace Walpole,
who created the genre with his work, The Castle of Ontranto.
Next in the development comes the gothic period. Here, we find
appeal to the intellect
pseudo-science
the invention of a human element
Such contributions to this era can be found in
the works ofMary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.
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http://www.litgothic.com/Authors/walpole.htmlhttp://www.litgothic.com/Authors/walpole.htmlhttp://www.litgothic.com/Authors/mshelley.htmlhttp://www.litgothic.com/Authors/mshelley.htmlhttp://www.litgothic.com/Authors/walpole.htmlhttp://www.litgothic.com/Authors/mshelley.html -
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Moving on, we come to the modern writers, the best example being
Edgar Allen Poe, who writes in
psychological aspects
a pairing down of ghouls
a shift in focus to the undercurrent of
society
These elements help drive the gothic genre into
the future.
Last are the
modern masters. These authors, such asArthur Machen, take the progression of the gothic
tale to the next level direction shifts with
artistic smoothness
convincingness
intensity
move away from pseudo-science
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http://www.online-literature.com/poe/http://www.litgothic.com/Authors/machen.htmlhttp://www.litgothic.com/Authors/machen.htmlhttp://www.online-literature.com/poe/http://www.litgothic.com/Authors/machen.html -
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So, the question is this:
Which of these elements does Brite
draw from and
what original contributions does
she make?
She clearly draws on creepy scenes and
the undercurrent of society. What is not
altogether clear is what, if anything, she
contributes. She definitely takes gross to the
next level, but what fright that adds is questionable.
Xenophobia, a tale from her collection of short stories titled Wormwood, seems
to struggle for its purpose; appearing to ultimately only discover that it has none. The best
it can offer are two unappealing derelicts who are also likely drug addicts.
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These two male characters offer little in the way of intellect as their thoughts seem
only to center around what is pornographic and drug-related. The plot moves something
like this: Two punk rockers get off of a bus in Chinatown. Not sure what to do next, they
make some bone-headed jokes about Fried lice and Monkey brains. Eyeball pie. (Brite
71). So far, we have atmosphere, which is not hard to create when the setting is
Chinatown.
After that, we are forced to accept the fact that there will be no appeal to the
intellect and thus likely no psychological element. Any hope that Brite is a modern master
is erased. The two characters then settle on ice-cream. They enjoy their sweet-treat over
some conversation about alcohol and their lack of funds to purchase such; this is coupled
with some discussion about the layout of Asian vaginas. Some indication is made that a
plot may be included in this story as a Chinese undertaker offers the two men a bottle of
good cognac (Brite 74) should they agree to watch a corpse at his parlor. The two agree
and sit with the corpse while tripping on mushrooms and getting drunk. All the while, they
are tempted to peek at the Asian womans vagina, and alas, can no longer resist. Robert
(the only named character), removes the corpses shroud.
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Brite writes, He dipped his fingers into the nest of black hair, smoothed it aside,
and exposed the dark pink lips of the womans vagina (82). Soon after, the author offers
the audience her version of horror, writing: His fingers probed further, slipping inside the
fleshy lips and parting them, exposing what was insidea single eye (Brite 84). The two
run away and the tale ends.
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If gross is enough to constitute a story as
supernatural literature then Xenophobia
can be placed in the category.
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In his book, The Evolution of the Weird Tale,S.T. Joshiwrites: Brite can write.
But in many cases, she has nothing to write about (203). This appears to be the case in
Xenophobia, which Joshi references following this comment: She can craft fine
descriptive passages (203). He quotes this passage in Brites tale:
The light of the setting sun was red as desire. Xs paraded across every
marquee. The poster girls nipples and lipstick had long since faded to a
dusty orange. The signs and lampposts and even the square of the
sidewalk that we stood on seemed to vibrate a hellish glow, as if some
enormous city machine thrummed far below the pavement. (203)
While not terribly frightening, Brite does create atmosphere. With her invention of the
eyeball vagina, she also invites the suspension of natural laws. H.P. Lovecraft, a critic and
modern master of supernatural literature, defines the two essential elements in the gothic
tale as atmosphere and thesuspension of natural laws. Still, one wonders what he would
have to say about Brite.
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http://www.stjoshi.net/http://www.stjoshi.net/http://www.stjoshi.net/http://www.hplovecraft.com/http://www.stjoshi.net/http://www.hplovecraft.com/ -
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Angels, also in Wormwood, seems to end a bit better than Xenophobia. Still,
the two male characters, Ghost and Steve, offer little in the way of psychology; though a
slight human element can be found with the implication that they were sent to save a set of
formerly conjoined twins from an environment where they are misunderstood. The tale
moves much like Xenophobia; this is true, at least, concerning lack of narrative drive and
plot. However, the ending is more satisfying, as Brite describes the deceased twins parents
returning home from the city with the dead bodies of their children; this happens following
a butchered surgery to re-join them. She writes:
As we headed home, Daddys face hanging heavy and impressive over
the steering wheel, Mama praying loudly in the passenger seat, and
the twins following us home in a refrigerated train car, I watched the sky
for angels. (21)
The story is choppy, and as Joshi writes, Most of Brites stories are not so much stories as
vignettes. Very few actually go anywhere, narratively speaking (203).
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Poppy Z. Brite was born in New Orleans; she lived there off on throughout her life
and now calls it home. Certainly, New Orleans offers much in the way of inspiration for
atmosphere, and such inspiration has not been lost on Brite. She began to create horror
stories at age three, and proudly boasts this info on her website. She seems to imply that
her ability to craft tales at such a young age lends itself to a higher intelligence, which may
be true. Joshi tackles the question of child prodigy, stating: it is worth studying the actual
merits of her work (203). In the end, he concludes, She is not as good a writer as she
thinks she is (Joshi 208).
Nonetheless, Poppy Z. Brite is studied in many supernatural courses. Trevor Holmes,
author of (Un) Becoming Goth, brings this fact to light: Her work is taught, however, in
gothic and horror courses on at least three continents (73). Perhaps this gives Brite some
credibility in her field. Concerning her plots, Holmes writes: the rather conventional
plotting is belied (73). If the plot is unfulfilled, then, at least, the shocking grotesque is
not. Holmes approaches this element of Brites work by drawing this conclusion: Poppy
Brite can be counted on to shock, at least a little bit (73).
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Atmosphere, writing ability and grotesque shock, Poppy has. These things will
have to be seen has her contribution to supernatural literature because, as Joshi writes,
She has much more difficulty describing mental states or things beyond the realm of the
senses (73). Poppy Z. Brite is still writing and still being studied, and perhaps, in the
future, her contributions will be more clearly seen. For now, her tales rely on the grotesque
and lack any other elements substantial enough to call her a master.
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Works Cited
Brite, Poppy Z. Poppy Z. Brite Biography.Poppy Z. Brite Official Site. Poppy Z.
Brite, n.d.. Web. 19 Nov. 2009.
Brite, Poppy Z. Wormwood. New York: Dell, 1994. Print.
Holmes, Trevor. (Un) Becoming Goth. Gothic Studies 9.1 (2007): 73.Academic
Search Premier. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.
Joshi. S.T. The Evolution of the Weird Tale. New York: Hippocampus Press, 2004.
Print.
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