Oates, Joyce Carol "The Accursed" Buddy Read Part 3 - 2013

Oates, Joyce Carol "The Accursed" - 2013

As already announced in my Hello September post, and my Buddy Read post, Lisa @Capitvated Reader and myself are hosting a buddy read this month. And here is Lisa's post. Have a look at her review, there is a lot more to this part than what I have said.

Spoiler alert:

A buddy read like this cannot be as vague as many of my other reviews. On the other hand, I can't hide everything, so I will have to talk about this book as if I were in a book club and we all read the book.

Therefore, I will be quite open in the next couple of weeks but will, at the end, write a description of the whole book in the way you are all used to. So, if you haven't read the book but still would like to, be patient, I'll get there.

I am not a big fan of fantasy or fantastic, mythical figures. I probably wouldn't have even looked at the book were it not by one of my favourite authors and for a dear blogger friend who invited me to join her buddy read.

Week 3 (Oct 17–Oct 24)

• Hysteria spreads; moral decay of the Princeton elite

• Part Three: "The Brain, Within Its Groove . . .": Dives deeper into psychological torment, visions, and the bizarre intervention of historical figures like Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair.

The title of this part is taken from a poem by Emily Dickinson:

The brain within its groove

Runs evenly and true;

But let a splinter swerve,

'T were easier for you

To put the water back

When floods have slit the hills,

And scooped a turnpike for themselves,

And blotted out the mills!

Good introduction.

The hysteria in Princeton gets worse and worse. Everybody thinks they are cursed and that something bad is going to happen to them. People get "visions" of deceased visiting them. And they fantasize about everything, e.g. their spouses being unfaithful. This leads to madness and murder.

And it gets more Gothic, as well. More and more historical figures appear, even fictional ones: Sherlock Holmes, for example.

My conclusion is there is no demon, just everyone's idea of their own guilt.

And my assumption, that Woodrow Wilson was a man of his time, a conservative man of his time, is manifested here:

Dr. Wilson concluded with an appeal for sympathy, understanding and patience: "For Woman, whom Nature has burdened with a load far heavier than Man - that is, propagation - must be judged with tolerance and forbearance in areas where, with no regard for intention, she has seriously lagged behind man."

I cannot see where women lag behind men, only where they are not given the same opportunities.

The question also comes up at LitLovers whether M.W. van Dyck is a reliable narrator. Well, usually we get notes and a bibliography and can check what is right and what isn't. However, since this is a fictional tale, it is tough to rely on something like that. I suppose we will just have to believe that he (or she) is a decent writer and the stories are true.

Book Description:

"This eerie tale of psychological horror sees the real inhabitants of turn-of-the-century Princeton fall under the influence of a supernatural power. New Jersey, 1905: soon-to-be commander-in-chief Woodrow Wilson is president of Princeton University. On a nearby farm, Socialist author Upton Sinclair, enjoying the success of his novel 'The Jungle', has taken up residence with his family. This is a quiet, bookish community - elite, intellectual and indisputably privileged. But when a savage lynching in a nearby town is hushed up, a horrifying chain of events is initiated - until it becomes apparent that the families of Princeton have been beset by a powerful curse. The Devil has come to this little town and not a soul will be spared. 'The Accursed' marks new territory for the masterful Joyce Carol Oates - narrated with her unmistakable psychological insight, it combines beautifully transporting historical detail with chilling fantastical elements to stunning effect."