Metro Library ReadUp discussion
April's Book: trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Metropolitan
(new)
Apr 08, 2016 12:13PM
Mod
reply
|
flag
From the discussion questions:"1. Neil Gaiman begins the introduction to TRIGGER WARNING with two seemingly dissimilar ideas: taking a journey and wearing a mask. In what way is beginning a book like beginning a journey?"
Beginning a book is like beginning a journey, because you often have no idea what is going to happen in the book just as you have no idea what is going to happen on your journey. In both cases, you may know where you are going to end up or places you are going to stop along the way, but in both cases, you won't know the details until you actually experience them. Books and journeys both have to unfold over time.
From the discussion questions:"2. He writes, 'We are all wearing masks. That is what makes us interesting. These are stories about those masks, and the people underneath them.' Does this idea illuminate anything about the characters in the book for you? What does the idea of mask-wearing mean for you as a reader?"
This idea makes me think that the characters in the book are not going to be what they appear to be at first glance. It also makes me think that all of the stories in this book are going to be heavy with symbolism, since that is what a symbol is: a mask.
From the discussion questions:"3. Also in the introduction, Gaiman refers to short stories as 'small adventures' he can take as a writer. Are short stories also small adventures for readers? What are some of the pleasures and surprises one can find in a short story that aren’t found in a novel?"
Yes, as a reader, short stories are also small adventures for me. In a short story, I can often consume the entire plot in one sitting rather than spending days watching it unfold. A short story can also offer a deep dissection of an individual moment rather than an analysis of many conglomerated moments.
Mod
"3. Also in the introduction, Gaiman refers to short stories as 'small adventures' he can take as a writer. Are short stories also small adventures for readers? What ..."
Fredonna wrote: "From the discussion questions:
"2. He writes, 'We are all wearing masks. That is what makes us interesting. These are stories about those masks, and the people underneath them.' Does this idea illu..."
I read "The Thing About Cassandra" last night right before falling to sleep--and I think that whole story is about masks--what's behind the mask? Is anything real? Are we wearing masks or are we the masks?
I really enjoy short stories--they're like little morsels, and are a very refreshing change of pace if you read mostly longer books as I do.
From the discussion questions:"4. Gaiman shares some background or inspiration about each story at the beginning of the book. Did you read this section before or after you read the stories themselves? How did reading these introductions before the stories color your reading of them? Or, how did the introductions enhance your understanding or appreciation of the stories after having read them? Did the introduction section and “Making a Chair” help you understand Gaiman’s writing process and storytelling intentions?"
I read the introduction and background section before reading the stories. That has colored my reading by giving me a basic idea of where each story is heading from the moment I start it. The introduction and "Making a Chair" did help me understand Gaiman's process and intentions. Before starting the book I was just curious about Gaiman, his writing style, and his stories. After reading the introduction and "Making a Chair," I was excited about the stories I was about to read.
Mod
This is my first time reading Gaiman, and it's even more "artsy-fartsy" than I had expected. I am also reading Plum Island by Nelson DeMille right now, and I think that juxtaposing these two completely different authors and styles makes them each seem even more extreme than they would on their own.
Well, this month's selection is turning out to be quite a change of pace for me. I've had no exposure to Gaiman, and I almost never read short stories. If I did, I sure wouldn't select anything from this unusual fantasy genre. BUT, I'm finding that I kinda like some of these. The story about Cassandra and The Lunar Labyrinth are two that have really stood out for me so far. Gaiman promised us masks. He promised us that at least one character would not meet a happy ending. He told us that this collection was going to be an odd mishmash of stories that didn't really fit together. Gaiman may be an odd duck and a wordsmith who fashions stories out of the brain muck that probably should've been flushed from his mind during a full night's rest, but he is certainly not a liar. I'm only partway through this book, and he has delivered on every count. Initially, I began this book in audio format, but these are stories that really seem to be better when read. I am now reading the stories, and I will probably utilize both formats going forward. I think I will read them first and then listen to them. I like to read the intros beforehand, because I presume I will understand the story better if I know the author's mindset when he wrote the story. I really didn't consider not reading them prior to the stories. That's an interesting idea.
So about this mask thing....I do believe we all wear various masks pretty much all the time. In fact, I know that I have different masks for different friends, acquaintances, and family members. I went into each story looking for each character's mask. I wonder now what would happen if I went into each day looking to see past the mask of each person I interacted with throughout the day. How much harder would it be to converse with others on the shallow level that most everyday conversations require? How much better or worse would my relationships with others be if I only tried to see past their masks?
Based on all the post on this book, I'm going to have to go pick it up from the library. I usually don' t like short stories. They leave me hanging, and hungry for more, if I like it and if I don't I'm glad they were short. But for the most part, I like all stories.
Of all of stories I've read so far, A Calendar of Tales is my favorite. I'd love to have some sort of brilliant insight as to why these stories are meaningful, but I don't. I just happen to like the way this guy's mind works....I think. He creeps me out about 70% of the time, but he's growing on me. What do you think of Gaiman? Do you think he would seem to just be an average sort of person on the street if you met him, or do you think he would come across as pretty strange?
Mod
I really liked Down to a Sunless Sea. It's so vivid, I can totally picture a dismal horrible wet Victorian London night with this weird mumbling woman scaring people!
I think just judging from the jacket photo that Mr. Gaimain probably comes across as a little professorial and eccentric, but not off putting or creepy.
Mod
Then I went back and read the introduction and he describes the setting as similar to the Isle of Skye, which I'd heard of, but couldn't exactly visualize. I highly recommend doing a google image search for the Isle of Skye--it is gorgeous!
I also like how the stories are arranged so far--I think that's pretty important in short stories. Following up "The Truth is a Cave" with the kind of amusing/dark "My Last Landlady" and then the downright funny "Adventure Story" made for a nice transition, I thought. "Adventure Story" embodies one of the things I don't always like about short stories. They can tend to hint at things rather than fully expressing them. "Adventure Story" could be fleshed out into one of those 3 inch thick science fiction epics, I bet.
Bobbi, I like your idea of looking past the masks of each person we encounter. I think that would be a good way to practice empathy, and I think it would reveal as much about ourselves as it would about others.Also, I think that in real life Neil Gaiman must come across as normal to the point of boring, because listening to him narrate this book is maddening. He is almost monotone, like he's bored with the stories. On second thought, that's probably a good thing. If he put emotion into it, the stories might be too creepy, LOL
After posting the above comment, I looked up YouTube videos of Neil Gaiman to see how he came across in interviews. Here's a brief one: http://youtu.be/UO8w-Vn1nRs To me, he seems pleasantly quirky. Not scary at all. It made me wonder if he writes bizarre stories to mask the fact that he is harmless or if he behaves harmlessly to mask the fact that he is bizarre.
*SPOILER ALERT*From the discussion questions...
"6. In 'The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains…' the narrator states 'everything has its cost.' What does that mean for the characters in this story in particular and for characters in other stories in the collection? Which characters lost the most or paid the highest costs? What do they gain in exchange, and does the high cost ever seem worth what they gain?"
This is a very interesting train of thought for me. I would say that of the characters in "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains..." Callum lost the most, paid the highest cost. He thought he got a herd for free, but he later found out that he had paid the price of unwittingly murdering an innocent, and still later he pays the price of a disconcerting journey that ends in his own horrible death. That seems an unreasonably high price to pay for animals - not worth it at all - and the fact that he didn't even know the price he was paying makes it seem even higher and more appalling to me.
Fredonna - I think your comment about his narration has spurred an epiphany for me. Gaiman does have a very flat delivery, probably intentionally so (drama and all), and now I understand why I was thinking he was borderline creepy....he reminds me of a college professor I had who read Edgar Allen Poe in a very similar manner! And yes, many of us students did get a creepy vibe from him, but of course, that's the best way to experience Poe. Anyway, my point is that I think I was predisposed to interpreting Gaiman as dark and "off" from the minute I began listening. Now, I still think Gaiman is a little out there, but maybe now I can read him with some fresh eyes. Isn't that funny how much differently we interpret things we hear versus things we read? I switched to reading the stories after the first few and found that I enjoyed them better. I still plan to listen to them, but I'll read them he first time around.
Mod
Yes! Click Clack the Rattlebag was pretty spooky. I unwittingly read it late at night, and I think that made it even more fun. The next night I was up late reading again and read Feminine Endings. That was a perfectly frightening late night read too.
I was going to listen to "Click Clack" at bedtime last night, but your comments made me wait until this morning, LOL
From the discussion questions..."7. Secret, prophetic or mystical knowledge seems to be a trait shared by many of the characters in TRIGGER WARNING. How trustworthy are characters like the guide in 'A Lunar Labyrinth,' the mother in 'Adventure Story' or the wife in 'Jerusalem'? Do you take their perspective at face value or look for a deeper cause or origin of their beliefs and actions? Do fantasy and horror stories need to be read with a suspension of disbelief, or can they be read from a purely psychological perspective as well?"
Both the guide and the narrator in "Lunar Labyrinth" seemed like they were up to no good. I didn't trust them at all. The mother in "Adventure Story" seemed senile, and yet I somehow trusted her tale. The wife in "Jerusalem" seemed naive, impressionable.
In "Lunar Labyrinth" and "Adventure Story," I looked for a deeper cause or origin of the characters' beliefs. In the first, I thought the characters were serial killers until close to the end. In the latter, I kept expecting the mother to reveal that she was an alien because normal human events were adventures to her and all of that fantastical stuff was passé. I took the wife in "Jerusalem" purely at face value. I wasn't really into that story.
I find that a lot of fantasy and horror can be read from a purely psychological perspective, and Gaiman seems to be especially good at writing that kind of story. "Lunar Labyrinth" could be an allegory of typical life cycles and how they can be disrupted by mental illness or trauma. "Adventure Story" could be an example of the fact that normal is relative and "Jerusalem" an example of how suggestible people can be.
From the discussion questions..."8. In reading 'And Weep Like Alexander,' did anything come to mind that you think should be uninvented? What would be the consequences of uninventing it? Do you imagine uninvention, as Polkinghorn does, as 'for the good of all' or as a more selfish or self-motivated act? Are we always stuck with the mistakes we’ve made or the disasters we’ve created? How would the world be different if we could change the mistakes or erase the disasters?"
As I read, I didn't think of anything I'd like to uninvent, and I think that's because I believe objects are amoral - neither good nor bad, their use depending solely on their user(s). I imagined uninvention as a self-motivated act and Mr. Polkinghorn as a narcissist, blotting out things that annoyed or inconvenienced him rather than working with others to learn and grow and change. We are, in some ways, stuck with the mistakes we've made, and while that can be painful, it can also be beneficial. Mistakes are how we learn. Uninventing objects and, thus, the experiences they facilitate might doom the human race to always be stuck spinning its wheels, making the same general mistakes over and over.
Mod
From the discussion questions..."11. There are many and diverse dangers described in TRIGGER WARNING. Some are physical and others metaphysical, some are emotional and some involve a threat to reason or logic. Which kind of danger do you find the most frightening and why? Which story was the scariest, the most chilling or the most disturbing?"
I finished the book today, and of all the stories, I found "The Thing About Cassandra" and it's metaphysical danger to be the most chilling. The main character discovers that his entire life and everything he believed to be true was just a figment of someone else's imagination. I imagine that's a train of thought that has put people in institutions.
From the discussion questions:"15. In the introduction, Gaiman writes that short story collections 'should not, hodge-podge and willy-nilly assemble stories that were obviously not intended to sit between the same covers.' He goes on to say that this particular collection 'fails this test.' Do you agree or disagree? What did you enjoy about the variety of styles and genres found in TRIGGER WARNING?"
I can see what he meant by that statement, but I disagree. I think all of the stories have a common thread of people paradoxically wearing masks while at the same time searching for truth. I enjoyed the variety of styles and genres in TRIGGER WARNING because I never got bored with the book. Some short story anthologies stick so closely to the "no hodge-podge" rule that they get boring after a couple of stories.
From the discussion questions..."16. What is your favorite story in the collection and why? Did you respond to it emotionally, intellectually or aesthetically?"
My favorite story in the collection was "A Case of Death and Honey" because I have always enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes stories. "A Case of Death and Honey" kind of reminded me of the very first Sherlock Holmes story "A Study in Scarlet" in that it bounced back and forth between a couple of different story lines.
I'm late to the party with my responses, but I love that now I get to read through everyone's thoughts before I comment. Not sure my thoughts run as deep as yours though!As far as things I would un-invent....possibly a few products invented by Monsanto. They've had some great ideas, but some of their results seem borderline catastrophic in my opinion.
The stories I found most frightening.....well, I agree with Fredonna's whole commentary on Cassandra. The things that cause us to lose our minds rank right up there. For me, Feminine Endings was a bit chilling. The idea that someone is in your space observing you unknown is too much. It's also something that could realistically occur to just about everyone. Can you imagine if that scenario really happened to you? I can, because I had a stalker once upon a time. Thankfully, things never escalated to that level. And Click Clack the Rattlebag. No, no no, with an extra side of no on the side.
I like Gaiman's use of hodgepodge, but maybe not for the best reason. I really didn't enjoy this book all that much, so I needed variety to pull me through. He's an intelligent writer, but his writing topics aren't my cup of tea.
My favorite story was Click-Clack the Rattlebag just because it was so creepy.
Mod
Mod
I just couldn't get into this one. I gave up halfway through. Looking forward to May's selection.
