In honor of Halloween's approach, I'm going to talk about a book that weirded me out a great deal several years ago.
In my first year in college, my freshman composition teacher made us read House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski. Basically, the text is an academic manuscript about a movie that a photojournalist made of his house, and that academic text is footnoted by a guy named Johnny Truant, a tattoo artist that found the manuscript, who has his own narrative that runs through the footnotes of the book. Oh, and the photojournalist's house? It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Obviously, this book nearly made my little freshman mind explode. Multiple levels of narration, crazy typography, and a severely creepy premise. I, of course, couldn't put it down, but was nervous to look in my closet for the next week.
Danielewski's certainly an author that pushes boundaries, and I admire that. I can't even try to explain his book Only Revolutions, which was nominated for the National Book Award in 2006.
But what made me think of House of Leaves? This webcomic: http://www.xkcd.com/472/
It's hilarious if you've read the book. If you haven't, it makes absolutely no sense.
So this Halloween, don't just go as a pirate--go as a costume maker who makes pirate costumes. You'll blow people's minds.
--Ryan
In my first year in college, my freshman composition teacher made us read House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski. Basically, the text is an academic manuscript about a movie that a photojournalist made of his house, and that academic text is footnoted by a guy named Johnny Truant, a tattoo artist that found the manuscript, who has his own narrative that runs through the footnotes of the book. Oh, and the photojournalist's house? It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Obviously, this book nearly made my little freshman mind explode. Multiple levels of narration, crazy typography, and a severely creepy premise. I, of course, couldn't put it down, but was nervous to look in my closet for the next week.
Danielewski's certainly an author that pushes boundaries, and I admire that. I can't even try to explain his book Only Revolutions, which was nominated for the National Book Award in 2006.
But what made me think of House of Leaves? This webcomic: http://www.xkcd.com/472/
It's hilarious if you've read the book. If you haven't, it makes absolutely no sense.
So this Halloween, don't just go as a pirate--go as a costume maker who makes pirate costumes. You'll blow people's minds.
--Ryan
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