Speech - Gothic Genre
- Submitted by: CaseyWinchester
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 08/22/2010 01:23 AM
- Pages: 5
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Good morning…. I have chosen to talk to you about ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ written by Joe Hill. The story revolves around Judas Coyne or "Jude", an ageing rock star who has a penchant for dating twenty-something year olds and collecting objects that are morbid, grotesque, and just plain creepy. When Jude comes across an online auction offering a ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ supposedly containing a ghost, he can’t resist adding to his collection.
Not long after the box arrives at Jude’s farm, he discovers the ghost is in fact very real and it didn't arrive on his doorstep by coincidence. The seller's sister, Anna, was Jude’s girlfriend. She committed suicide not long after being dumped and kicked off Jude’s farm. Her recently deceased stepfather, Craddock- a hypnotist and occultist—plans to exact vengeance on Jude by hounding him, and anyone he cares about, to their deaths.
Although Heart-Shaped Box was Hill’s first published novel, he has been writing stories ever since he can remember. It still plays a big part in his life as both his parents are published authors. Growing up his father would involve him and his siblings in creative writing games, as well as literary arguments around the table. I should probably mention now that Joe Hill was born Joseph Hillstrom King son of Tabitha King and Stephen King; a man who made the horror genre his own.
Hill drew on a number of things he was passionate about to create protagonist Jude. For example Jude channels people like Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson in appearance and attitude.
He listens to classic rock and metal bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails and Lynard Skynard. Hill himself is a fan of those artists and tried to incorporate that into Jude’s character. He uses the music as a defining character feature and later as something that helps Jude when he is helpless. Recurring themes throughout ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ are death, the afterlife and ghosts - both metaphorical and real. Jude has trouble escaping his...
Not long after the box arrives at Jude’s farm, he discovers the ghost is in fact very real and it didn't arrive on his doorstep by coincidence. The seller's sister, Anna, was Jude’s girlfriend. She committed suicide not long after being dumped and kicked off Jude’s farm. Her recently deceased stepfather, Craddock- a hypnotist and occultist—plans to exact vengeance on Jude by hounding him, and anyone he cares about, to their deaths.
Although Heart-Shaped Box was Hill’s first published novel, he has been writing stories ever since he can remember. It still plays a big part in his life as both his parents are published authors. Growing up his father would involve him and his siblings in creative writing games, as well as literary arguments around the table. I should probably mention now that Joe Hill was born Joseph Hillstrom King son of Tabitha King and Stephen King; a man who made the horror genre his own.
Hill drew on a number of things he was passionate about to create protagonist Jude. For example Jude channels people like Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson in appearance and attitude.
He listens to classic rock and metal bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails and Lynard Skynard. Hill himself is a fan of those artists and tried to incorporate that into Jude’s character. He uses the music as a defining character feature and later as something that helps Jude when he is helpless. Recurring themes throughout ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ are death, the afterlife and ghosts - both metaphorical and real. Jude has trouble escaping his...