Loved reading this. I agree that she's funny! I just published a new post about We Have Always Lived In the Castle and partly about the hysterical humor in it.
I loved The Haunting of Hill House when I first read it long ago, and the late-night scene where Eleanor thinks she is holding her roommate's hand while they listen to the loud bangs and knocks on the doors and walls, then discovers the roommate is too far away and could not have been holding her hand--it still haunts me! I also loved the first movie they made, with Julie Harris, who captured the Eleanor from the book so perfectly. I also read and laughed through Life Among the Savages. She was definitely a brilliant writer.
It struck me so deeply when you pointed out that Shirley Jackson didn’t write in spite of her domestic life, but through it. As Jackson beautifully proves, tilting the ordinary just two degrees off its axis is exactly how you uncover the deepest truths. Thank you for giving her the depth she has always deserved!
I love Shirley Jackson! Her short stories-beyond The Lottery-are all amazing. She was incredibly prolific, amazingly so with that many children plus the man-child she married. Did you see the movie about her, starring Elizabeth Moss? I think it captures the tragedy of her life very well.
So many thought provoking points in this one. I especially liked “they are so clearly products of the same mind working on the same preoccupations from two different angles.”
The humor element is something I’ve been thinking about lately. I feel like if there’s any humor besides dark satire a book can’t be literary fiction. I’m not sure if this is entirely accurate or just what I’ve been reading.
The Jackson connection actually complicates this for me, because she's genuinely funny in ways that aren't really dark satire at all. The domestic memoir stuff is just witty. I think the real line isn't humor versus no humor but whether the humor reassures you or implicates you, and hers always does the latter.
I remember reading The Lottery in high school and feeling so appalled by what the townspeople considered to be normal. Now reading this piece about its author gives me such a greater appreciation for that work. I really love your weekly posts about female writers! I have learned so much. Thank you.
I seriously hope these essays are somehow serving double-duty for your PhD--because they clearly take work. (Which is what makes them exceptional.) How you have the time escapes me. From this day forward, I pinky swear I'll never say, "I don't have time to write" again.
I guess I'm gonna have to (best books of 20th century) read "The Haunting of Hill House." Even though I still haven't recovered from the experience of watching the original 1963 movie adaption, "The Haunting." (Starring Julie Harris.) I have goosebumps just thinking of it. But I saw it through a 10-year-old's eye--not someone with the intellect/experience to grasp the themes you write about above.
PhD is done. This is all part of the research. I did so so much and now I’m putting it to use outside of the constraints of academia. It’s much more fun! As for The Haunting - go watch it again. I bet it will hit differently now.
Loved reading this. I agree that she's funny! I just published a new post about We Have Always Lived In the Castle and partly about the hysterical humor in it.
I loved The Haunting of Hill House when I first read it long ago, and the late-night scene where Eleanor thinks she is holding her roommate's hand while they listen to the loud bangs and knocks on the doors and walls, then discovers the roommate is too far away and could not have been holding her hand--it still haunts me! I also loved the first movie they made, with Julie Harris, who captured the Eleanor from the book so perfectly. I also read and laughed through Life Among the Savages. She was definitely a brilliant writer.
She really is. I need to go back and read her again soon.
It struck me so deeply when you pointed out that Shirley Jackson didn’t write in spite of her domestic life, but through it. As Jackson beautifully proves, tilting the ordinary just two degrees off its axis is exactly how you uncover the deepest truths. Thank you for giving her the depth she has always deserved!
That’s exactly right. I love the way she views the ordinary or mundane then makes it extraordinary. Such a talented.
I love Shirley Jackson! Her short stories-beyond The Lottery-are all amazing. She was incredibly prolific, amazingly so with that many children plus the man-child she married. Did you see the movie about her, starring Elizabeth Moss? I think it captures the tragedy of her life very well.
I have not seen it but now I will. I'm going to go find it. Thanks for sharing.
So many thought provoking points in this one. I especially liked “they are so clearly products of the same mind working on the same preoccupations from two different angles.”
The humor element is something I’ve been thinking about lately. I feel like if there’s any humor besides dark satire a book can’t be literary fiction. I’m not sure if this is entirely accurate or just what I’ve been reading.
The Jackson connection actually complicates this for me, because she's genuinely funny in ways that aren't really dark satire at all. The domestic memoir stuff is just witty. I think the real line isn't humor versus no humor but whether the humor reassures you or implicates you, and hers always does the latter.
Glad you liked it.
Mothers can be harsh but don’t need to be. Thanks for sharing.
I remember reading The Lottery in high school and feeling so appalled by what the townspeople considered to be normal. Now reading this piece about its author gives me such a greater appreciation for that work. I really love your weekly posts about female writers! I have learned so much. Thank you.
Glad you’re enjoying them.
Never read. Changing that today.
Start with The Lottery. It’s fantastic
She’s my literary hero.
Oh I can see that!!!!
I seriously hope these essays are somehow serving double-duty for your PhD--because they clearly take work. (Which is what makes them exceptional.) How you have the time escapes me. From this day forward, I pinky swear I'll never say, "I don't have time to write" again.
I guess I'm gonna have to (best books of 20th century) read "The Haunting of Hill House." Even though I still haven't recovered from the experience of watching the original 1963 movie adaption, "The Haunting." (Starring Julie Harris.) I have goosebumps just thinking of it. But I saw it through a 10-year-old's eye--not someone with the intellect/experience to grasp the themes you write about above.
PhD is done. This is all part of the research. I did so so much and now I’m putting it to use outside of the constraints of academia. It’s much more fun! As for The Haunting - go watch it again. I bet it will hit differently now.
I will TRY to overcome my "The Haunting" PTSD and rewatch (I may need a sedative) ...but I'll definitely read the book...