Sabrina & Hill House: Perfect for a Spooky Netflix and Chill

October 29, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Netflix and Halloween mix perfectly this year with two outstanding series that premiered this month, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Haunting of Hill House. What do I love about these two shows? They are deliciously dark and bloody.

Kiernan Shipka in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018) — imdb.com

Sabrina Spellman is teenage girl half-mortal and half-witch that is torn about her upcoming sweet sixteen and dark baptism, an initiation ritual into the Church of Night, a church of satanic witches and warlocks. Sabrina is full of conflict and questions. Conflict because if she signs her name in the Book of the Beast she will be giving up her mortal-side of her life including her best friends and her boyfriend Harvey. Questions because Sabrina does not seem entirely convinced that the Church of Night is good…

Sabrina makes her choice and begins navigating through the dark and light worlds she co-inhabits. Overcoming perilous obstacles and life-threatening adventures she is becoming stronger and more confident in questioning her leaders (predominately male figures) and the Church of Night.

What I love about this Sabrina is that she is not easily fooled, she follows her instincts and isn’t afraid to speak up if something is questionable. What makes me curious about the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an underlining critique that is woven within each episode right beneath the surface. I think this critique is on patriarchy, regardless if it’s patriarchy at her mortal high school (society) or within the Church of Night (the Dark Lord himself). The portrayal of the Church of Night also has striking similarities to old school LaVey Satanism (a.k.a. Church of Satan) which has always felt to me as an outlandish inversion of Christian religions rooted in a patriarchal structure. But that’s a discussion for another time.

Alina’s Rating: 4 out of 5 Witches

I love this show and highly recommend it to anyone who also loves Salem, The Witch or Penny Dreadful.

The Haunting of Hill House follows the Crain family and their story, past and present, involving the Hill House that they lived in for a short period of time. The Hill House was undoubtedly haunted but each character has their own separate and uniquely terrifying journey coming to that conclusion.

What is refreshing and thrilling about the storyline is that each character is explored and illuminated (each character gets about one whole episode to themselves). In each episode and through the various characters the Hill House begins to appear more evil and deadly. The common theme that keeps the Crain family and Hill House connected is murder which always sparks up an array of scary happenings while ultimately luring the Crain family back home.

What I love about The Haunting of Hill House is the refreshing use of various scare tactics by the ghosts and house itself. Playing in the realms of the psychological and physical the house has a knack for slowly chipping away at the will and the soul. A few key spooks that I love, the Tall Man and Poppy. When you get to know them, you’ll know what I mean.

What could I talk about as far as a critique when it comes to Hill House? I’d probably discuss the various scare-tactics used by the ghosts. Tactics that remind me of THE RING and EVIL DEAD.

Alina’s Rating: 5 out of 5 Ghosts

I highly recommend this show for its suspense and scare factor. If you like The Haunting of Hill House try Crimson Peak.

Liked this post? Try these:

A Review that Bites: “Dark Shadows” TV Series(1966-1971)

Halloween Movies (part 1): My Favorite Yearly Re-Watches

Halloween Movies (part 2): Must-See Classics

Gertrude Stein’s “Autobiography” of Alice

August 17, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

I read The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas in only a few weeks. To be honest, I read a few pages and put it down then picked up other books I have been reading and kind of forgot about it. Then I picked it up again a few days later and couldn’t put it down. I got sucked in and read page after page. I think what hooked me was the style, the echo that the writing has (or is supposed to be) of Alice’s speech. This made the content feel as if it was part of a casual discussion with Alice, who ‘remembers’ the tiniest details when it comes to Gertrude.

This book is one of Gertrude Stein’s most popular works even when it was first published in 1933. What I thought was fascinating about this ‘Autobiography’ is that Stein wrote in Alice’s voice from Alice’s perspective entirely on the subject of Gertrude. Stein uses her partner Alice as a literary device to discuss her writing, social life, and their relationship (barely).

I felt that Stein had taken the purpose of ‘autobiography’ to gain perspective on herself but the issue of this is that the perspective she writes from (Alice) is Stein’s own creation. This is evident from the beginning of the autobiography which is vague and contains muddled details about Alice’s life before meeting Stein. Then when she finally comes to Paris and meets Stein, there is more focus and clarity not only in the content and story-telling but in the writing.

The only other work by Stein I’ve read is Tender Buttons which is a million miles from the ‘autobiography’ in terms of content and style. I have conflicting feelings when it comes to both books but I think what I need to do is read more of her work. As for Alice, I am fascinated by her and feel like Stein’s ‘autobiography’ of her fails to really give the audience the true Alice. I plan on reading Alice’s real autobiography soon to get a real perspective on Stein’s.

After finishing the ‘autobiography’ I was unsettled, honestly disturbed. To me, Stein uses Alice as a mask and magnifying glass on herself which makes it seem like she doesn’t really care about Alice but only cares about the attention she gets.

What disturbs me specifically, the three pages that make up the first chapter “Before I came to Paris” which is Alice’s life before Stein, and the repetition in the first half of the book that talks about Alice sitting and talking with “other wives of geniuses”. This naturally assumes that Alice is also the wife of a genius, and because she is being used as literary-cover (mask) by Stein, Stein is really saying she is a genius. I’d rather have her come out and say it plainly than go about doing it this way.

Overall, I love the style and writing itself. It’s the content and intent of Stein that perplex me. I want to read Alice’s real words and might pick up some of their letters to each other and compare her writing to Stein’s “Alice’s” voice. I think this work is an interesting experiment in style but I question the real motives behind its creation but of course, there is the death of the author, does Stein’s intent even matter?

Alina’s Rating: 4 Picasso’s out of 5 Picasso’s

Poetic Forms: Villanelle

July 29, 2018April 1, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Here we go! Another discussion on the basics of poetic forms, this time Villanelles.

(Link for History of Villanelles)

A Villanelle is comprised of nineteen lines, 5 stanzas of three lines each with a final stanza of four lines, the rhyme scheme is aba

here’s where it gets tricky,

1st line of 1st stanza repeats as the last line in the 2nd and 4th stanzas

3rd line of the 1st stanza is repeated as the last line in the 3rd and 5th stanzas

The 1st and 3rd line of the 1st stanza become the 2nd to last and final line of the poem

(source: The Making of a Poem)

A basic outline of the first nine lines would look something like this,

1st line, rhyme scheme a

2nd line, rhyme scheme b

3rd line, rhyme scheme a

4th line, a

5th line, b

1st line (repeated), a

6th line, a

7th line, b

3rd line (repeated), a

…and so on.

I have been having fun with the Villanelle lately and trying to write a few of my own. I have one pretty much fleshed out but it is not near done enough to post yet. But here is an example villanelle.

Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas, 1914 – 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

source: poets.org

Other sources/resources:

New Rhyming Dictionary and Poets Handbook

The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms

Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to follow or subscribe!

-Alina

Poetic Forms: Sonnet

July 26, 2018April 1, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Let’s talk about Sonnets! I wanted to do something different today and decided a short discussion on sonnets would be fun.

There are Two Major Sonnet Forms: Petrarchan and Shakespearean

The Basic Form of a Sonnet is Fourteen Lines in Iambic

[ U unstressed syllable / stressed syllable ]

[ u/ u/ u/ u/ u/ ] x14

Petrarchan (Italian)

Eight lines (Octave)

Rhyme Scheme: ababcdcd

Six Lines (Sestet)

Rhyme Scheme: cdecde

Example Petrarchan Sonnet:

The Poet Petrarch (Origin of the Petrarchan Sonnet)

Sonnet 101 [Ways apt and new to sing of love I’d find]

Petrarch, 1304 – 1374

Ways apt and new to sing of love I’d find,           A
Forcing from her hard heart full many a sigh,        B
And re-enkindle in her frozen mind                   A
Desires a thousand, passionate and high;             B
O’er her fair face would see each swift change pass, C
See her fond eyes at length where pity reigns,       D
As one who sorrows when too late, alas!              C
For his own error and another’s pains;               D
See the fresh roses edging that fair snow            C
Move with her breath, that ivory descried,           D
Which turns to marble him who sees it near;          E
See all, for which in this brief life below          C
Myself I weary not but rather pride                  D
That Heaven for later times has kept me here.        E

Source: poets.org

Shakespearean (English)

No Octave/Sestet structure

Rhyme Scheme: ababcdcdefefgg

Note: final couplet (gg) is a key part of this type of sonnet

Example Shakespearean Sonnet:

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun (Sonnet 130)

William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;        A
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;          B
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;    A
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.   B
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,         C
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;             D
And in some perfumes is there more delight         C
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.    D
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know          E
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;         F
I grant I never saw a goddess go;                  E
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.   F
     And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   G
     As any she belied with false compare.         G

Source: poets.org

One of my favorite poets/writers who wrote sonnets is Edna St. Vincent Millay

Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs

Thou art not lovelier than lilacs,—no, A
Nor honeysuckle; thou art not more fair B
Than small white single poppies,—I can bear B
Thy beauty; though I bend before thee, though A
From left to right, not knowing where to go, A
I turn my troubled eyes, nor here nor there B
Find any refuge from thee, yet I swear B
So has it been with mist,—with moonlight so. A
Like him who day by day unto his draught C
Of delicate poison adds him one drop more D
Till he may drink unharmed the death of ten, E
Even so, inured to beauty, who have quaffed C (slant rhyme?)
Each hour more deeply than the hour before, D
I drink—and live—what has destroyed some men. E

Source: allpoetry.com

There are many adaptations to the original sonnet forms of the past. As you can see from the poem (above) by Millay which contains a variation of the traditional rhyme schemes found in both the Petrarchan and Shakespearean. Her sonnets are often funny and extremely witty about subjects that were considered slightly risky at her time (1920’s).

Other Sources/References used:

The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms

Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics

Collected Sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this brief and basic discussion of Sonnets.

-Alina

Review: “E.E. Cummings: A Selection of Poems”

July 20, 2018April 1, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

I recently finished reading this book of poems, a selection of poems by E.E. Cummings, this collection featured fantastic poems that display Cummings love for the written word, skills in typography and his particular use of punctuation and enjambment.

Originally published in 1923 this selection contains poems that might be considered risky even in the ’20’s about sex and sexual urges. There are also poems that display Cummings ongoing “un-doing” of words, punctuation and the typographical form of a poem on the page. A consistent pattern that I noticed towards the end of this collection is his use of “un”.

In the poem, “pity the busy monster, manunkind” (pg.125), “un” is used to undo and possibly invert not only the meaning of words such as ‘mankind’, ‘wish’, and ‘self’ but to put these words and their meanings on their head (or in on themselves). Cummings weaves in words such as “disease”, “electrons”, “hypermagical”, and “ultraomnipotence”, his puts some words together while emulating (I think) a sing-song voice that reminds me of advertisements for cure-alls.

The poem, I think, talks about the ‘silliness’ of mankind and death which is always present. I wonder if this poem is specifically about death as an unavoidable reality regardless of how far mankind has “progressed” or if it is making fun of people that believe in the progress of mankind to overcome death? Is the “hypermagical ultraomnipotence” a reference to god? I am not sure.

I would love to read some criticism of this poem and others published around the same time to help me better understand where Cummings is going with his poetry. I honestly felt that although Cummings was tearing poetry apart, in terms of form and style and creating something all his own, his poems operate on the same mastery levels like the greatest poets who lived hundreds of years before Cummings time.

Cummings poems may look like simplistic easy-reads but there is really so much more packed into them than meets the eye. I love reading E.E. Cummings and have a couple other books of his poems that I love just as much as this one and highly recommend to readers,

“Etcetera: The Unpublished Poems” by E.E. Cummings

17370

“No Thanks” by E.E. Cummings

294354

photo sources: goodreads.com

A plus note about “E.E. Cummings: A Selection of Poems” is the introduction by Horace Gregory which adds some flavor and plenty of words from Cummings himself on his poetry and poetry in general. This introduction really adds to the experience of reading this book of poetry in its entirety. My edition is a 1965 reprint edition and can be found on Amazon.

Alina’s Rating: 5/5