Josh's blog

While it is rare that the idea for a story i happen upon relates to what i am learning about or doing at the time, I'm sure it is obvious that this time it was. The following story idea came to my while I was sitting in my Victorian Novel class, last week. We were discussing the Industrial Revolution and Gothic Literature. It is meant to show the darker sides of capitalism/industrial revolutioins/cities/paranoia/etc, but at the same time do so with some humorous elements. Title:Hubris (of man, society, and capitalism) or Shock TownShock Town=what victorians would call ther extremely industrial citiesHubris=main character flawPlaces: (extremely industrial city: think victorian England/Pittsburgh, Pa/Modern China and India)(Takes place in modern world, but seems much older: perhaps in China or other developing country going through the same stages we once went through)High society (opening)Seedy UndergroundRed Light districtFactory after factory lined streetsBlack Smoke/smog/shadow/cloud/cloak/shroud hangs over entire cityArchitecture: (look up gothic architecture)Modern architecture, yet seems more gothic in descriptionDark, many shadows, square and sharp, yet with many edges crevices, mysterious, gargoyles, blocky, dangerous colors: Dark: grey, black, red, brownsLexicon: AntiquarianExample: H.P. Lovecraft: cyclogean, eldritch, rugose, noisome, squamous, ichor, etc...People and Themes:Paranoia, Change, Underworld, Decay, Sickness, Poverty, Prostitution, Crime, Fear, Death, Anxiety, Pride, Disease, Unknown, Enlightenment vs Romanticism, Capitalism, Gothic, Media, Obsession, plague, superstition, Technology, MachinesMood:arrogance of high society and death of the masses (disease, poverty, etc...) PARANOIAParody: (scenes that show the following in a humorous form)ConsumerismOur society (capitalism)Mall zombies: commercialismCelebrity obsessionTabloidsHumorous side characters: Prostitute, poverty stricken men, etc... (think shakespeare)Exageration: ex: One room living spaces with multiple famlies living in it (well this might seem sad, write it in such a way as to be humorous)Technology and machines (humerous scenes with it)ChangeMain character: name: Stevenson/Twist/DorianAffluent, pround, arrogantHe is disgusted by poverty, disease, pollution, death. He wonders why the ruling body doesn't do something about the poor and sick, the "useless"Changes: Feels that something/someone is following/stalking/chasing him feels its "eyes" in the shadows always on himStory: ^The chase that happens because of this feeling takes you on a tour of the city^Opening scene, main character, in city, sees smoke (from the "bad" part of town that we will eventually be led to on his "tour" or chase")"eyes" following him= paranoia, death, society, change, etc...