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Yuletide recs
Dec. 27th, 2007 07:13 pmNestled deeply in the pages of the conservative propoganda book that my aunt and uncle gave us was a crisp twenty dollar bill. How tricksy of them, potentially losing a twenty like that. LOL We are now the proud owners of a chest (30 cans) of High Life in the classy orange cans (to enjoy after the hunt!), a bag of Doritos, and a bottle of Ruby Red grapefruit juice.
I've been going through this year's Yuletide by fandom and already the squee is overwhelming. LOL I've only gotten up to Live Free and Die Hard, so expect more rec posts forthwith.
Shall I Miss the Selkies and the Seals
Fandom: A.S. Byatt's Possession
Possession is usually my favorite book; sometimes Dan Simmons's Ilium takes the honor, but usually it's Possession. Possession is about scholarship at its finest, at its most compelling and intriguing. It's about that little thrill in the pit of your stomach when you realize that you are touching things, reading things, that no one else has read or touched in ages. It's the goosebumps when you discover you've put together the puzzle, figured out the mystery, made a connection that no one else has noticed. Those feelings are rather few and far between in academia, but if you've ever had a moment like that (and I so gloriously have) you know how precious it is. It's the one book every English major should read. Period. This fic is very short and is a study in contrasts. We see Ash and Christabel together and then with each of their other respective partners; the language here is beautiful and compelling and evocative of the source material.
Weaving Lesson
Fandom: A.S. Byatt's Possession
Blanche is such an interesting character, the doomed Alice B. to Christabel's Gloria. There is such a lovely and aching despair that colors her and this missing scene from her life with Christabel is all the more poignant because we know what happens next. The Blanche voice here is particularly fine and engaging.
Sweet, Salt, and Bitter
Fandom: Bible
This story slashes the sisters Leah and Rachel and is seriously, seriously awesome. I love the dynamic between the two siblings here and the exploration of the roles they play. There is such an undercurrent of violence throughout the whole piece; these women are angry and so they lash out with their bodies, even as that violence is somehow transmuted into a strange kind of tenderness.
Are We the Fools For Being Surprised?
Fandom: Daria
And the answer to that question is, "Well, duh." This is told from Daria's POV and seeing the first semester of college through her inimitably snarky eyes--the confusion, the homesickness, the bright moments of epiphany--made me want to go mainline the whole series right this instant. I didn't have MTV growing up so I didn't see Daria until I was in college; I don't think I've seen all the episodes and the ones I have seen, I've only seen once. I wish this fic is one they'd filmed, the episode where Daria and Jane go off to college and miss Brittany and Kevin more than they'd ever admit and realize that their friendship runs much deeper than they'd expected.
The Thorny Edge of Evening
Fandom: Dead Poets Society
We've all got that handful of movies, right? The ones that shaped us, the ones we memorized all the words to, the ones that will not let go of us years after we initially watched. For me, DPS is at the head of that list. What I remember most is being transfixed by the power of the words they recite to each other. I had to go right out and start reading Thoreau and Whitman. This movie is so powerful for me because that joy they all experience--it can't be real, it can't last, it is beautifully fictional and unattainble and ultimately tragic. This piece lives right on that knife's edge between the joy and what happens next, in that moment when youth and words and life are enough to sustain, before the moment when they are not. Neil is so deftly drawn here, as is Todd. I ache for them both because I know what lies ahead.
Our Endless Work Down Here in Paradise
Fandom: Independence Day
I saw this movie on the third of July in a packed theater and it was one of those amazing theater experiences where the audience is all involved with the simultaneous gasping and laughing and the applauding and cheering at relevant moments. This fic is about what happens next. What happens after the debris stops raining from the sky? What do we do then? What I love about this piece is that, despite the solidarity from the film's conclusion, we've learned suprisingly little about how to function as a globe. What I also love is that this piece takes its time; there's no rush, no hurry, and the sense of inevitability with the pairing is quite lovely. Just in case, like me, you need a little refresher on the characters: David is played by Jeff Goldblum and Tom is the president played by Bill Pullman.
I've been going through this year's Yuletide by fandom and already the squee is overwhelming. LOL I've only gotten up to Live Free and Die Hard, so expect more rec posts forthwith.
Shall I Miss the Selkies and the Seals
Fandom: A.S. Byatt's Possession
Possession is usually my favorite book; sometimes Dan Simmons's Ilium takes the honor, but usually it's Possession. Possession is about scholarship at its finest, at its most compelling and intriguing. It's about that little thrill in the pit of your stomach when you realize that you are touching things, reading things, that no one else has read or touched in ages. It's the goosebumps when you discover you've put together the puzzle, figured out the mystery, made a connection that no one else has noticed. Those feelings are rather few and far between in academia, but if you've ever had a moment like that (and I so gloriously have) you know how precious it is. It's the one book every English major should read. Period. This fic is very short and is a study in contrasts. We see Ash and Christabel together and then with each of their other respective partners; the language here is beautiful and compelling and evocative of the source material.
Weaving Lesson
Fandom: A.S. Byatt's Possession
Blanche is such an interesting character, the doomed Alice B. to Christabel's Gloria. There is such a lovely and aching despair that colors her and this missing scene from her life with Christabel is all the more poignant because we know what happens next. The Blanche voice here is particularly fine and engaging.
Sweet, Salt, and Bitter
Fandom: Bible
This story slashes the sisters Leah and Rachel and is seriously, seriously awesome. I love the dynamic between the two siblings here and the exploration of the roles they play. There is such an undercurrent of violence throughout the whole piece; these women are angry and so they lash out with their bodies, even as that violence is somehow transmuted into a strange kind of tenderness.
Are We the Fools For Being Surprised?
Fandom: Daria
And the answer to that question is, "Well, duh." This is told from Daria's POV and seeing the first semester of college through her inimitably snarky eyes--the confusion, the homesickness, the bright moments of epiphany--made me want to go mainline the whole series right this instant. I didn't have MTV growing up so I didn't see Daria until I was in college; I don't think I've seen all the episodes and the ones I have seen, I've only seen once. I wish this fic is one they'd filmed, the episode where Daria and Jane go off to college and miss Brittany and Kevin more than they'd ever admit and realize that their friendship runs much deeper than they'd expected.
The Thorny Edge of Evening
Fandom: Dead Poets Society
We've all got that handful of movies, right? The ones that shaped us, the ones we memorized all the words to, the ones that will not let go of us years after we initially watched. For me, DPS is at the head of that list. What I remember most is being transfixed by the power of the words they recite to each other. I had to go right out and start reading Thoreau and Whitman. This movie is so powerful for me because that joy they all experience--it can't be real, it can't last, it is beautifully fictional and unattainble and ultimately tragic. This piece lives right on that knife's edge between the joy and what happens next, in that moment when youth and words and life are enough to sustain, before the moment when they are not. Neil is so deftly drawn here, as is Todd. I ache for them both because I know what lies ahead.
Our Endless Work Down Here in Paradise
Fandom: Independence Day
I saw this movie on the third of July in a packed theater and it was one of those amazing theater experiences where the audience is all involved with the simultaneous gasping and laughing and the applauding and cheering at relevant moments. This fic is about what happens next. What happens after the debris stops raining from the sky? What do we do then? What I love about this piece is that, despite the solidarity from the film's conclusion, we've learned suprisingly little about how to function as a globe. What I also love is that this piece takes its time; there's no rush, no hurry, and the sense of inevitability with the pairing is quite lovely. Just in case, like me, you need a little refresher on the characters: David is played by Jeff Goldblum and Tom is the president played by Bill Pullman.
