What the Conrad?

I don't need to be reminded about the tortured mind of Shirley Jackson, as I have enough assignments and readings to deal this month. My tutor believed that those who were born during late summer would make a different in the university. They became physically capable, which helped them built their confidence. I looked at him, wondering if he was describing himself. He didn't seem like the varsity type, but I didn't say a word.

Walter complained about his math lessons. What would be the use of vectors, theorems, and quadratic equations? It might come in handy during his next holiday, I told him. The skyscrapers in New York could make him forget about selfies, as the height and area of each building might require him to do a mental calculation. My dormmate gave me a look. (I don't mind if he doesn't heed it, but I was serious about it.) On the other hand, I wondered how Victorian literature would help me appreciate the East Coast. My old man, who hailed from Leeds, might know a thing or two on national and imperial identity. I wrote a paper on relocating modernity, of how the idea of the modern world took shape in Victorian writing.

The idea of modernity might not be discerned in a Dickens book, but readers would need to look at the history of capitalism (in the background). In the case of H.G. Wells, it wouldn't be hard at all. As far as "Time Machine" is concerned, I learned about the development of scientific thinking. It was an exciting period as well.

Your songs about monsters

Smitty got a kick from watching "20 Million Miles To Earth" last Sunday, such that he assembled his playlist about monsters. "Dragonhead" by Throwing Muses, "Bowels of the Beast" by The Raveonettes, "Monster Walks The Winter Lake" by David Thomas and the Wooden Birds. It was an interesting list, and I would suspect that it would be far from the mainstream. I didn't expect Drake to be part of his list, and I doubt that the lyrics of "Jealous" won't include phrases like a monster boyfriend. He was curious about my preference in monster films (or the lack of it). It turned out that I was looking at a geek, as my choices were far from his favorites.

I wasn't compelled to explain "Pitch Black," but it was a good example of how a filmmaker turned limitations (in his resources) into advantages. I was probably the only one who have suspected the carnivorous bat-things, which inhabited the arid satellite for some time, as victims of alien invaders. And they happened to be flesh and blood. "Jeepers Creepers" would fall under the "you've got to be kidding me" category. Some urban legends could end up as flat once the monster would appear (on the TV screen). This one would feed on the grim hallways and lawns in school. I wouldn't even call it delectable. Last but not the least, James Whale's version of "Frankenstein." Mary Shelley might approve the director's nasty humor, which only the English could fathom. Don't watch the kid on this one.

I must finish my paper on "The Haunting of Hill House."