I suggest to the fans of Wuthering Heights, the book, that they watch Saltburn first before they see the latest film in order to get some flavour of Emerald Fennell, the director, and her kind of movies. I have imaginations of some great expert (I have one in mind) on Wuthering Heights hating Fennell's version of it. I haven't been yet because car service prevented me from attending on the opening day but I will go sometime next week. (BTW, the quotation marks in the film title are not accidental and should give you a clue).
Wuthering Heights was my set book in Ludic Literature that I studied last year on my Creative Writing course. I parodied it, parodied parodies, pastiched and rewrote entire chunks I had great fun. I sometimes got totally confused about whose voice I was being. I parodied it in the voice of Joice who was already parodying in the voices of others in Ulysses the parodies section I was also required to parody and transfer to Bronte. However confused I was at any given time I enjoyed every minute of it. I can't wait to see Fennell's take. Of course Wuthering Heights is a story of revenge not love. It is a very cruel story with not particularly nice people, a mis-representation and love and all things sweet it most certainly isn't. Quite where Bronte got it all from is mind boggling, daughter of the clergyman in Yorkshire.
There was a big upset in the Men's Figure Skating last night when the wonder boy Ilia Malinin flopped out and fell on the ice a few times and ended up 8th. The gold was won by Mikhail Shailorov from Kazakhstan, a well deserved winner. Japan took silver and bronze and between them they also accumulated a few falls but had a better night than Malinin. It was a great competitive night of skating and even those who are outside the top ten are fabulous skaters. I went to bed as soon as it finished as I did not want to hear all the inquests on what went wrong. I saw it, I witnessed it and I didn't need to hear endless talking about it.
I'm off out in a minute to meet my friend for coffee in Waitrose. I go anyway regardless of whether I've got any shopping to do. Is it nice to have a friend to meet for a chat.
Parodying a parody - that really sounds confusing enough to sometimes make you wonder what voice you were being! But it also sounds like great fun.
ReplyDeleteEarlier today, in the foreword of my current read the author says that he wanted to have fun writing, because otherwise how would people have fun reading his book? He has a point there, I think!
Meeting a friend for coffee and a chat is a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon, especially if it's wet and cold like it is here today.
Parodying is a great way into creative writing, it gives you a freedom of voice to explore writing in the voice of another author.
DeleteGoing back to your post, I think I need to read the book but my gut reaction is that I do not like fictionalisation of real individuals. For instance, there have been fictionalised dramas on Margaret Thatcher, or our Queen Elizabeth 2nd and the Royal Family. which of course have conversations in them which are entirely fiction, imaginary. I cannot read these books. With the Netanyahu story I cannot see why the author did not invent a fictional professor.
By the way, it is sunny and blue sky here today. Much needed after all the grey skies and drizzle we have had this month.
DeleteSaturday here was thoroughly grey, wet and cold - good job I didn't have to go anywhere! Today is supposed to remain dry until the evening, with even a chance of a bit of sun in the afternoon - I am ready to jump into my boots and head out then!
DeleteBack to grey, wet and cold here today, Sunday. Very miserable morning with rain.
DeleteI think people think of the Kate Bush song when they think of Wuthering Heights, rather than the actual book which really is quite unpleasant. I just can’t work up the enthusiasm for the film but I look forward to your review. Glad you have blue skies - here we have the after effects of the edge of the cyclone - hot and humid. I wish it would rain to clear the air.
ReplyDeleteOff to read the Sunday papers now….
Kate Bush is right on point Tink. Thanks for reminding me. I love artists on art, different takes on a story, which is why I am so looking forward to Emerald Fennell's take on it.
DeleteIt is raining and grey and cold again this morning.
I've never read the book but know the story. There's a lot of talk about the film but I'm not going to watch it so ignore the critiques. More interesting is parodying paradies. That was quite an achievment. I remember you writing about it, back then. You.ve got a sharp mind and you keep it honed.
ReplyDeleteI love it when smaller countries win. The underdog comes out on top. Yeh!
I loved that Ludic Literature course and our professor was very keen on getting us to write so every week I had piles of homework to do. It was the best though. He had us changing the plot around too so I will be eyes wide open with this new film version.
DeleteThat skate by the Kazakstan skater was a winner and I knew that Malinin was going to have a task on his hands to beat him. As it was, Malinin never got anywhere near from the word go by not doing the first jump of his program properly which stopped everybody in their tracks - like "what the hell is going on?" Then it just got worse. But then that's why I love the Olympics, you never know what is going to happen. The commentators get a bid annoying so between skaters I muted them!