The magnificent uniqueness of the individual

There's an interesting letter to the editor in The New York Times:

To the Editor:

Re “The Encroachment of the Unsayable,” by Bret Stephens (column, Oct. 20):

In his otherwise thoughtful and important piece on the limits writers face today, Mr. Stephens doesn’t mention pressures far more common than religious fundamentalism.

The writers I know, novelists especially, are so terrified of writing something that might be deemed offensive — because of “cultural appropriation,” “othering” or race and gender sensitivities — that, as Bruce Springsteen once said of poets, they “don’t write nothin’ at all.”

It has become next to impossible, for one example, to put on the page an evil character who belongs to a marginalized or oppressed group. Novels are symphonies of the imagination, and deal primarily with the magnificent uniqueness of the individual — Jane Eyre, Bigger Thomas, Gatsby — and, while they may have a political impact, they should not be read, or judged, as pamphlets.

We are killing democracy, yes, one timid book after the next. And among other negative consequences, this crippling of the imagination has hampered our ability to see each other, beyond the labels, as human beings.

Roland Merullo

Conway, Mass.

The writer is the author of 16 novels.

CBR recommends '5 Underrated Horror Movies to Get You in a Spooky Mood', including

Son Of Dracula (Robert Siodmak)

This 1943 Universal feature was the sequel to the original Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. While many other films from this era are a mixed bag of quality, Son of Dracula stands out in a big way. In the film, viewers are introduced to Count Alucard (Dracula spelled backwards), who is played by The Wolfman himself, Lon Chaney Jr. The story follows Alucard's scheme to marry the heiress Katherine Caldwell and turn her into a vampire. While not as iconic as many of the Dracula films before or after it, Son of Dracula has many qualities that make it stand out. The character of Katherine is very driven and has a level of agency uncommon for female characters in horror films of the time. The romantic subplot between her and her boyfriend, Frank, who Alucard tries to steal her away from, is also quite interesting. Katherine and Frank's relationship makes the film reminiscent of Emily Brontë's classic Gothic novel, Wuthering Heights, albeit with vampires. The acting is also top notch, with Lon Chaney Jr. delivering one of the most impassioned performances of his career during the film's climax. It may not be a perfect film, but Son of Dracula has many aspects that make it worth watching. (Gunnar Hopson)

One Room with a View reviews the new film adaptation of The Secret Garden.

The shadow of colonialism and war charge a Gothic Jane Eyre-like atmosphere for Mary to escape, but beneath the breathtaking production and costume design, the original’s soulful message of self-improvement is obscured. (Fatima Sheriff)

Maybelle Wallis tells how she came to be a published author on Writing.

I also re-visited the Victorian Gothic genre. There are some fabulous modern books in this genre by authors like Sara Waters, Essie Fox, and Laura Purcell, but the mother of them all is Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. A key element of that novel is the balance of power between Jane and Rochester: Jane’s internal conflict between her self-determination and the temptation to give in to the man she loves. She will not allow him to dictate the terms of their relationship and although she ‘marries the boss’, it’s only when he’s blinded and becomes reliant on her. I gave Doughty a Jane of his own, to be both a beloved and the catalyst of his downfall.

AnneBrontë.org posts about 'The Month Of October In The Brontë Novels'.