While some of the essays collected in Mythologies are inevitably dated, their basic premise – the idea of cultural phenomena, everything from washing While some of the essays collected in Mythologies are inevitably dated, their basic premise – the idea of cultural phenomena, everything from washing powder and cars to wrestling matches and the face of Greta Garbo, as 'modern myths' – remains both relevant and accessible. Culminating in the longer, linguistics-heavy essay 'Myth Today', the book is intellectually demanding, but it's also playful and even funny at times. A challenging and thought-provoking break from fiction....more
Very short but exceptionally powerful, this story is a masterclass in psychological horror. Written as the secret journal of a 'nervous' woman confineVery short but exceptionally powerful, this story is a masterclass in psychological horror. Written as the secret journal of a 'nervous' woman confined to an attic room on the insistence of her husband and doctor, it leads the reader through a quick - yet extremely tense - chronicle of the decline of the character's sanity. It's set up so you assume at first she is is perfectly fine and suffering unnecessary incarceration by her husband, who appears to be a sinister figure, but as she becomes increasingly fixated on the wallpaper in her room, it becomes more and more obvious her madness is real and her account cannot be trusted. My only complaint about this memorable, vivid story is that it could easily have been longer, and could have been fleshed out into an excellent novella. I'll certainly be seeking out more of the author's work....more