Comments on: The Little Stranger http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger News about Alison Bechdel's comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, and her graphic novel Fun Home Mon, 21 May 2012 18:25:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=391 By: Susan http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-306019 Susan Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:36:09 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-306019 The little stranger is inside us all--our subconscious mind, doing its mischief. See the Coleridge poem "Frost at Midnight," which Caroline quotes from on page 357 . . . A clue? The little stranger is inside us all–our subconscious mind, doing its mischief. See the Coleridge poem “Frost at Midnight,” which Caroline quotes from on page 357 . . . A clue?

]]> By: Andrew O. http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305818 Andrew O. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:29:18 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305818 Unfortunately I couldn't read TLS while this was going on (although I found it on the new books shelf at the library someone had a hold on it, so my reading was delayed). It's beautifully written. The doctor's obsession with the house certainly caused SOME kind of problem (and how on earth did he think was going to restore the estate, and why did he care?). But I found resonances of "Beloved," and assumed the poltergeist was the dead child. Certainly interesting to think it appeared in different guises for each poor member of the family. Can't ghosts do that? We are able to "accept" ghost stories that take place in Victorian times as being somehow "real;" maybe the postwar period is now far enough back for the same effect. Unfortunately I couldn’t read TLS while this was going on (although I found it on the new books shelf at the library someone had a hold on it, so my reading was delayed). It’s beautifully written. The doctor’s obsession with the house certainly caused SOME kind of problem (and how on earth did he think was going to restore the estate, and why did he care?). But I found resonances of “Beloved,” and assumed the poltergeist was the dead child. Certainly interesting to think it appeared in different guises for each poor member of the family. Can’t ghosts do that? We are able to “accept” ghost stories that take place in Victorian times as being somehow “real;” maybe the postwar period is now far enough back for the same effect.

]]> By: affinity http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305806 affinity Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:14:14 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305806 PS - I didn't read all the postings above before I wrote mine. Sorry if I seemed to be ignoring others' similar comments! Definitely a novel that's more interesting in retrospect than during the reading for me. Thanks to everyone here for making it even more fascinating... PS – I didn’t read all the postings above before I wrote mine. Sorry if I seemed to be ignoring others’ similar comments! Definitely a novel that’s more interesting in retrospect than during the reading for me. Thanks to everyone here for making it even more fascinating…

]]> By: affinity http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305805 affinity Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:06:59 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305805 But what if the narrator IS "radically untrustworthy"? Could he be the real Little Stranger who's had a grudge and fascination with Hundreds Hall since that first childhood visit, wanting to take his share from the over-privileged, but also become part of their private sealed world? His whole narration could then be a carefully reshaped fantasy version of events filled with convenient elipses and lies, to cover over the traces of his dogged "haunting" of the family? Rather being doctor/helper, he's secretly unsettler/destroyer? Only problem being, it doesn't end the way he'd hoped, with him becoming Lord of the Manor, so he disposes of his ex-fiancee... I can't get this interpretation out of my mind, as it makes the most sense to me in terms of Waters' fiendishly clever plot devices. Maybe she's hidden the twist more deeply this time around, to make even more mischief? But what if the narrator IS “radically untrustworthy”? Could he be the real Little Stranger who’s had a grudge and fascination with Hundreds Hall since that first childhood visit, wanting to take his share from the over-privileged, but also become part of their private sealed world? His whole narration could then be a carefully reshaped fantasy version of events filled with convenient elipses and lies, to cover over the traces of his dogged “haunting” of the family? Rather being doctor/helper, he’s secretly unsettler/destroyer? Only problem being, it doesn’t end the way he’d hoped, with him becoming Lord of the Manor, so he disposes of his ex-fiancee… I can’t get this interpretation out of my mind, as it makes the most sense to me in terms of Waters’ fiendishly clever plot devices. Maybe she’s hidden the twist more deeply this time around, to make even more mischief?

]]> By: goldfish http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305751 goldfish Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:08:00 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305751 "Sucky" is a misspelling of "Sukey," a nickname for Susan -- Mrs. Ayres' lost daughter. “Sucky” is a misspelling of “Sukey,” a nickname for Susan — Mrs. Ayres’ lost daughter.

]]> By: jana http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305750 jana Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:20:27 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305750 @49...I think you're really on to something here. The hauntings do manifest themselves in ways that cause their objects the most distress. For Mrs Ayres it is her daughter and the thought of her death in the house. For Rod it is fire, which would remind him of his accident during the war. And he has burn scars in his face, doesn't he? Is that why the mirror in his room "jumped" at him the night of the party? And perhaps the same thing happened to Gyp, explaining his sudden aggression. Along those lines, I could see how the ghost would show itself as Dr Faraday to Caroline. What bothered me quite a bit was the fact that Betty didn't leave. She seemed to easily scared at the beginning; it seems out of character that she would stay until the bitter end. I do think something supernatural was going on. How else to explain things like the scribbles (btw: "Sucky?!" What was that about?) and the mirror? @49…I think you’re really on to something here. The hauntings do manifest themselves in ways that cause their objects the most distress. For Mrs Ayres it is her daughter and the thought of her death in the house. For Rod it is fire, which would remind him of his accident during the war. And he has burn scars in his face, doesn’t he? Is that why the mirror in his room “jumped” at him the night of the party? And perhaps the same thing happened to Gyp, explaining his sudden aggression. Along those lines, I could see how the ghost would show itself as Dr Faraday to Caroline.

What bothered me quite a bit was the fact that Betty didn’t leave. She seemed to easily scared at the beginning; it seems out of character that she would stay until the bitter end.

I do think something supernatural was going on. How else to explain things like the scribbles (btw: “Sucky?!” What was that about?) and the mirror?

]]> By: grrljock http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305728 grrljock Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:37:53 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305728 <i>The Little Stranger</i> is on the long list for the 2009 Man Booker Prize: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1252 The Little Stranger is on the long list for the 2009 Man Booker Prize:
http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1252

]]> By: joanne http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305708 joanne Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:56:38 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305708 It seems to me that the book has a perfectly rational explanation, caroline sees off her brother and then her Mother to get her freedom. She was going to have Faraday remove her Mother from the Hall ( and take away her last burden) and led Faraday down that path but then balked at her Mother being committed because of the shame. She hangs her tranquilized Mother which is why the key is in the garden. She is just about to get away with it and take flight when Faraday lets himself in with his key and pushes her over the balcony. He says as he is in the clearing " I feel myself a stranger". I think SW did not want to appear trite with an obvious solution that wrapped everything up. I think she was a bit too obscure and people didn't get it. Caroline was a closeted lesbian who had considered escaping the hall by marrying Faraday and when he made it clear he wanted to stay she had to think again. The last line shows that he is the only ghost there. I don't think SW has an interest in the real supernatural but she does in peoples delusion and cynicism. I think that with a more clearly spelled out ending the chilling twist was as good as in affinity which made me go cold all over when I read the last page. It seems to me that the book has a perfectly rational explanation, caroline sees off her brother and then her Mother to get her freedom. She was going to have Faraday remove her Mother from the Hall ( and take away her last burden) and led Faraday down that path but then balked at her Mother being committed because of the shame. She hangs her tranquilized Mother which is why the key is in the garden. She is just about to get away with it and take flight when Faraday lets himself in with his key and pushes her over the balcony. He says as he is in the clearing ” I feel myself a stranger”. I think SW did not want to appear trite with an obvious solution that wrapped everything up. I think she was a bit too obscure and people didn’t get it. Caroline was a closeted lesbian who had considered escaping the hall by marrying Faraday and when he made it clear he wanted to stay she had to think again. The last line shows that he is the only ghost there. I don’t think SW has an interest in the real supernatural but she does in peoples delusion and cynicism. I think that with a more clearly spelled out ending the chilling twist was as good as in affinity which made me go cold all over when I read the last page.

]]> By: M-H http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305563 M-H Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:50:52 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305563 Martyn @ 98 thanks so much for this evocative posting. Martyn @ 98 thanks so much for this evocative posting.

]]> By: boredtotears http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger#comment-305544 boredtotears Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:15:04 +0000 http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/?p=1421#comment-305544 @Duncan: I think you're right. And the joke is the "Browning" part--get it? @Duncan: I think you’re right. And the joke is the “Browning” part–get it?

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