The Hobbit by Tolkein

The Hobbit is a fantasy novel about the heroic tale of Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is a simple, home-loving, hobbit who lived all of his life in the Shire, a community of peaceful hobbits. Bilbo embarks on a quest with a wizard named Gandalf and a band of dwarfs. The quest takes up almost the entire novel. It is a sort of right of passage for Bilbo, as he becomes more mature and wiser. He journeys away from the comfort of his home to the dark unknown territories of the Wilderland. After all his encounters with danger, he succeeds in doing something grand and heroic by facing the Dragon. In the end Bilbo lives to share his tale and returns home to the Shire. Bilbo's journey is a great example of the hero cycle. He explores his identity and confidence with the world beyond the Shire. Bilbo was first introduced as a timid and easily frightened hobbit. But he later proves to prove himself multiple times. He never lets himself be engulfed by greed. Stones and precious jewels do not corrupt him. He learns to become selfless and put the needs of others before his own. Indeed Bilbo transforms himself from a common hobbit into a purely heroic figure.

What I appreciate most about the novel is Tolkein's way of describing his fantasy world. He describes it in full detail so that we can immerse ourselves into his world and creation. His descriptions of the extraordinary are approached in a casual manner, so that the reader does not feel that he is trying to be convinced. It is fascinating to enter Tolkein's world and get to know his imaginative characters. The different races (elves, dwarfs, trolls, goblins) are different physically and morally.

We can also detect a sense of humor in Tolkein's tone. Even in Bilbo's most dangerous moments, Tolkein is able to sooth the tension with his wit.

American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis

This was a fascinating book to read. I had never read a book told through words of a psychopathic serial killer. The killer's name is Patrick Bateman, a wealthy businessman who graduated from Harvard and now works for his father's company. On first appearance, Bateman seems to be a well educated, successful businessman who is charming and humorous amongst women and his co-workers.

This novel is a psychological thriller that is told by serial killer and businessman, Patrick Bateman. The novel is simply Bateman describing his day to day life. He goes to expensive bars, and nightclubs, comments on expensive clothing, makes dinner reservations with his wealthy business partners and brutally murders his victims. What is most disturbing is that no matter what he describes, the reader percieves no true emotion in his voice other than the occasional disgust and greed. I believe that Bateman represents American capitalism since his only interest is to be on top and kill any competition that's holdin him back. Gradually Bateman's murders become more frequent and more brutal in nature. He even goes so far as to pull out the insides of his victims from their mouths while they are still alive. the murders consist of mutilation, rape, torture and cannibalism. However, as the story progresses, Bateman's state of mind becomes increasingly unstable. He has visions that seem to be real. The reader begins to question whether Bateman is actually committing these murders or whether they are some twisted fantasy that is going out of control. 

What really disturbs me about the novel is Bateman's indifference in describing the mutilations and other atrocities he commits. Even as Bateman's mask of sanity slips away, he still speaks in a calm and very descriptive manner. Its clear that without emotions, man is unable to control his morality. Bateman's thirst for blood increases and he is unable to control his obsession with murder. There is no connection between the victims.

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Generation Dead did not prove to be your typical zombie book, where corpses rise back from the dead to haunt and kill people randomly. Instead it is about a minority group of people, who share similar features to those of zombies. These people's organs do not function. They are slower in the movement and actions and seem to only be capable of thinking and talking. It is unclear why this phenomena is happening or how this genetic mutation came into being. What is even more strange is that it only happens to American teenagers. Generation Dead thus brings up the struggles that minority groups face against the rest of society. Discrimination, xenophobia, and ignorance are important themes in this book. This social minority faces continuous harassment, from being called "corpsicle" to being burned alive. I appreciate how this book shows these important, existing, social issues while also creating a humorous story about zombies. It is not often that the reader is sympathetic with zombies. It even leaves out the gore that we are used to from zombie stories. Zombies are usually a danger or a threat to society, but this book approaches it from another angle. It is also a coming of age novel. The main character, Phoebe Kendell, and her two friends, Margi and Adam, prove to be somewhat heroic in her struggle to integrate the "zombies" with the rest of society. Kendell's curiosity and attraction to one of the zombies lead her to enter the zombie's organization. She is a goth teenager and so is already familiar with being ostracized merely for being different. By establishing a new relationship with Tommy, Phoebe leaves her familiar world and enters a world of fear and struggle. There are no laws that protect the zombies, since theoretically they are  already dead. There are many dynamic characters in the story. Not all the zombies act the same. Each has his own opinions and struggles. there are those that want to be accepted by society while there are those that are against it, as a result of harassment.

Elements of Horror in Frankenstein

The elements of horror are used throughout the movie of Frankenstein. There are moments where the movie arouses emotions of terror, and disgust. Curiosity is always aroused in many cases throught the unkown, especially when Frankenstein is about to uncover a hidden room. He becomes intrigued to voluntarily travel deeper into the castle's mysteries. Fantasy and the supernatural also play crucial roles in the film. Frankenstein wishes to bring to life his own creation. Furthermore, Frankenstein seems to loose his sanity the closer he gets to realizing his goal. The lighting and setting sets the dark and mysterious atmosphere. Frankenstein is a character the fits the Gothic formula. His sensibilities are sympathetically familiar and contemporary. He is removed from the normal world that we ourselves are familiar with and placed into a darker setting. Also, Frankenstein sets to live up to his father's work.