[ SECRET POST #3952 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3952 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Really early, sorry!

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 51 secrets from Secret Submission Post #566.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: Book club - October discussion - The Haunting of Hill House

[(Anonymous)]

I really like the book personally, but I can see why it might not have worked for you. I definitely was scared by it - all of the really intense psychological stuff *does* work for me, quite a bit, and I was able to get really into it. Similarly, the ambiguity in what we see - how much of it is Eleanor's perception, how much of it is the house driving Eleanor insane, how much of it is objectively haunting - all of that worked for me really well. And also just the atmosphere of the house - the description, for instance, of stuff like doors being unable to stay open, and things like that, and the really intense feeling of isolation in the scenes where the characters are all holed up in one room trying to pretend to be happy. It really carried across a feeling of intense psychological horror to me. It felt like the house was evil, I thought that aspect was really well done.

With regards to the characters, I think the most important character is Eleanor, and I thought she was really well done - a very sympathetic character, especially at the beginning, wanting to be free to start her own life. And that really helped me get into the horror aspect of the novel as well - because I identified with Eleanor to a certain extent, I got really caught up in her descent into the clutches of the house. With regards to the other characters, I do think that a certain amount of Theodora and Luke coming across as bitch was a result of Eleanor's perceptions being warped by the house - so much of that is interpretation - but there is definitely also some bitchiness there. Also, I'm pretty sure that Theodora being queer coded is intentional - I believe some of the adaptations actually make it explicit. Which is nice and interesting.

In general, I thought the book was really affecting, it definitely spooked me out, it had a really scary atmosphere, and I thought it was fantastically well written. I do come down on the side that there was a real haunting - the house was psychologically affecting the people inside it and causing them to act crazy and ultimately causing Eleanor to lose her mind, which I thought was a pretty tragic ending but also satisfying in its own way.

I don't know. I liked it a lot. I thought it was really well written and had a lot of cool ideas. But it's definitely a very psychological book, all about perceptions and Eleanor's subjective experience - not really plot-driven - so I can see how it might not have worked for you.

Re: Book club - October discussion - The Haunting of Hill House

[diet_poison]

I agree a lot with your interpretation, especially of Eleanor as sympathetic and I loved her at the beginning when she was leaving and trying to start her new life.

Vagueness in general leaves me feeling unsatisfied, but I can see why the book is a classic and why it works for people who can get more easily into that kind of stuff. :) And yeah to some extent Luke and Theodora being jerks may have been from Eleanor's perspective, but it was their intentions she was warping, not their actual words, and some of the words were not nice.

The scary atmosphere could work much better for me if I were more absorbed, which is why I really want to watch one or both of the movies.

I appreciate your insight and detailed response. This is a good comment :)

Re: Book club - October discussion - The Haunting of Hill House

[(Anonymous)]

Watch the 1963 version. It's good and quite creepy at times. The 1999 film makes the supernatural elements over the top and it's really silly rather than scary.

Also, just read that they're making a series for Netflix. Can't wait to see it.

Re: Book club - October discussion - The Haunting of Hill House

[(Anonymous)]

And yeah to some extent Luke and Theodora being jerks may have been from Eleanor's perspective, but it was their intentions she was warping, not their actual words, and some of the words were not nice.

That's true. It's really hard to tell how much of it is Eleanor's perception being warped because of the house, how much of it is them being jerks, and how much of it is them being jerks because of the house.

Re: Book club - October discussion - The Haunting of Hill House

[diet_poison]

I think, too, some of it was good-natured teasing that sounds malicious viewed from an extremely cynical lens.