Very much enjoying this re-read. What strikes me, however, is the contrast between the dialogue and the characters' exploration of the house, which almost reads like a comedy of manners, and the sudden revelations of the horrors of the house. It's as if the house itself is intruding on a country house weekend away. The characters themselves could also come from a Golden Era of Detective Fiction set-up, with a kindly, benevolent doctor, a legatee with a shady past, and two women of a very specific type - not to mention the two faithful but taciturn retainers. Of course, we know from Eleanor's back story that she is not from that typecast, as it were, so there's a feeling that they are all to some degree acting out their parts, which all adds to the unsettling, unreal atmosphere. Even now, I still imagine it will all work out fine...
“Whose hand was I holding?”! That gave me full heebie-jeebies!
Such beautiful writing, I could see and feel everything in my mind’s eye - Jackson is a master of setting you right in the atmosphere! I can definitely believe that Everett House was the inspiration- even just on the photo, it gives you a feeling of doom and darkness.
Seeing Eleanor’s dark thoughts come to the forth was disconcerting - it felt so visceral and couldn’t be contained, which made a later scene of blood (?) in Theo’s room doubly creepy!
That last line of the chapter (whose hand was I holding?) made me jump out of my skin, haha). I’m also still enjoying the wry humour. The doctor’s way to get to sleep being to read ‘Pamela’ for example. That house you visited looks terrifying. The podcast is thoroughly recommended. The episodes featuring Simon Callow on Dickens and Caryl Phillips on Baldwin were particular highlights for me. Thank you Henry.
Worth nothing that while I was reading these chapters my bedroom door opened on its own. It's an old door and it was windy, but STILL.
It seems to me that the actual haunting, while spectacular, isn't the point of the book at all, it's more of a way to analyze these people's psychological state and reactions, especially Eleanor's. Isn't that what the best speculative fiction is after all, a metaphor shedding light on certain themes?
So, the house has a will on its own, apparently. It's manipulating their perception of reality, suggesting thoughts that weren't there before. It feels like Eleanor is becoming someone else entirely. Her companions became both a family to her and enemies and her whole world in the span of three days. And it seems like they're all turning into children too, aren't they? Giggling, playing, picking strawberries. When Theodora became Theo and Eleanor became Nellie, I don't know why but it made me more uneasy than all the overt spookiness.
What?! That must have been terrifying! I hope it didn't then slam shut suddenly . . . You're so right - Jackson is very much having her cake and eating it - frightening us with terrifying scenes and jump scares, but also delving into Eleanor's psychology. It's only going to get stranger . . .
I was strangely calm during it, like our character were the morning after. Should I be worried? And I might add, re: Eleanor, that she's apparently becoming a different person, but there was always resentment and trauma boiling down the surface, waiting to be expressed.
Thank you, Henry! Gosh - those photos are quite something - remarkably like some of my own mental images.
I loved these chapters - as well as being thoroughly spooked. I'm so struck by the way Jackson continues to balance irreconcilable tensions in the novel: the homely and the horrible, menace and intimacy. It's so moving the way that, just at the moment Eleanor is making contact with a wider reality, after years of isolation, she is also becoming divorced from reality. She's losing herself at the very moment that she's, finally, discovering herself. I feel invested in her new relationships, and in her staying at Hill House, even as I can see how perilous her situation is becoming.
While reading, I've found myself thinking of the film Psycho, which opens with a similar moment of escape from an undesirable existence, and in which the heroine also enters a house which promises, at first, to be a haven. But while, in Psycho, we're willing the heroine to get away at all costs, in Hill House, the situation feels far less straightforward.
The tensions are so great aren't they - it's what makes it so gripping and unusual, I think - we're never quite sure how to feel in relation to the house, to Eleanor, to the text, to Jackson - it's a deeply unsettling experience!
And great comparison to Psycho - I hadn't thought of it, but of course that is another kind of haunted house story, isn't it? And another family home that's gone deeply wrong . . .
Thank you for giving readers a way to share their thoughts. I'm inspired by what I read here. I'm trying now to balance a purely psychological/normal interpretation of events with a paranormal one. Jackson doesn't make it very easy....
Goodness, her writing is scaring me to death. The tensions as they explore the rooms makes me appreciate my own place. Sorry, I will no longer this before bed!
Oh NOW it’s getting creepy - I was bowling along quite happily for the first few chapters but now it’s an uncomfortable read…Theodora is strange enough but her purpose seems to be a foil for Eleanor, whose reactions are really quite bizarre. I keep thinking she’s been made mad by looking after her mother and missing out on ‘normal’ life and Hill House is drawing this madness out. The novel seems to be saying something about private and public faces and the tension between them. I can and can’t wait to see where this goes next!
Yes great point about private and public faces - the boundaries between public/private, psychological/physical, interior/exterior, fantasy/reality are becoming increasingly blurred . . .
Very much enjoying this re-read. What strikes me, however, is the contrast between the dialogue and the characters' exploration of the house, which almost reads like a comedy of manners, and the sudden revelations of the horrors of the house. It's as if the house itself is intruding on a country house weekend away. The characters themselves could also come from a Golden Era of Detective Fiction set-up, with a kindly, benevolent doctor, a legatee with a shady past, and two women of a very specific type - not to mention the two faithful but taciturn retainers. Of course, we know from Eleanor's back story that she is not from that typecast, as it were, so there's a feeling that they are all to some degree acting out their parts, which all adds to the unsettling, unreal atmosphere. Even now, I still imagine it will all work out fine...
Great point!
“Whose hand was I holding?”! That gave me full heebie-jeebies!
Such beautiful writing, I could see and feel everything in my mind’s eye - Jackson is a master of setting you right in the atmosphere! I can definitely believe that Everett House was the inspiration- even just on the photo, it gives you a feeling of doom and darkness.
Seeing Eleanor’s dark thoughts come to the forth was disconcerting - it felt so visceral and couldn’t be contained, which made a later scene of blood (?) in Theo’s room doubly creepy!
Ha! Heebie-jeebies is right . . . Yes good point - it's almost as if the blood externalises Eleanor's violent feelings towards Theo . . .
That last line of the chapter (whose hand was I holding?) made me jump out of my skin, haha). I’m also still enjoying the wry humour. The doctor’s way to get to sleep being to read ‘Pamela’ for example. That house you visited looks terrifying. The podcast is thoroughly recommended. The episodes featuring Simon Callow on Dickens and Caryl Phillips on Baldwin were particular highlights for me. Thank you Henry.
Ha! I know! That line is so scary . . . Especially if you're reading in bed at the time! Many thanks for the kind words about the podcast.
This house is amazing. It'd be incredible to read the book while sitting in this house!
Worth nothing that while I was reading these chapters my bedroom door opened on its own. It's an old door and it was windy, but STILL.
It seems to me that the actual haunting, while spectacular, isn't the point of the book at all, it's more of a way to analyze these people's psychological state and reactions, especially Eleanor's. Isn't that what the best speculative fiction is after all, a metaphor shedding light on certain themes?
So, the house has a will on its own, apparently. It's manipulating their perception of reality, suggesting thoughts that weren't there before. It feels like Eleanor is becoming someone else entirely. Her companions became both a family to her and enemies and her whole world in the span of three days. And it seems like they're all turning into children too, aren't they? Giggling, playing, picking strawberries. When Theodora became Theo and Eleanor became Nellie, I don't know why but it made me more uneasy than all the overt spookiness.
What?! That must have been terrifying! I hope it didn't then slam shut suddenly . . . You're so right - Jackson is very much having her cake and eating it - frightening us with terrifying scenes and jump scares, but also delving into Eleanor's psychology. It's only going to get stranger . . .
I was strangely calm during it, like our character were the morning after. Should I be worried? And I might add, re: Eleanor, that she's apparently becoming a different person, but there was always resentment and trauma boiling down the surface, waiting to be expressed.
Thank you, Henry! Gosh - those photos are quite something - remarkably like some of my own mental images.
I loved these chapters - as well as being thoroughly spooked. I'm so struck by the way Jackson continues to balance irreconcilable tensions in the novel: the homely and the horrible, menace and intimacy. It's so moving the way that, just at the moment Eleanor is making contact with a wider reality, after years of isolation, she is also becoming divorced from reality. She's losing herself at the very moment that she's, finally, discovering herself. I feel invested in her new relationships, and in her staying at Hill House, even as I can see how perilous her situation is becoming.
While reading, I've found myself thinking of the film Psycho, which opens with a similar moment of escape from an undesirable existence, and in which the heroine also enters a house which promises, at first, to be a haven. But while, in Psycho, we're willing the heroine to get away at all costs, in Hill House, the situation feels far less straightforward.
Excited to keep reading!
The tensions are so great aren't they - it's what makes it so gripping and unusual, I think - we're never quite sure how to feel in relation to the house, to Eleanor, to the text, to Jackson - it's a deeply unsettling experience!
And great comparison to Psycho - I hadn't thought of it, but of course that is another kind of haunted house story, isn't it? And another family home that's gone deeply wrong . . .
Thank you for giving readers a way to share their thoughts. I'm inspired by what I read here. I'm trying now to balance a purely psychological/normal interpretation of events with a paranormal one. Jackson doesn't make it very easy....
Goodness, her writing is scaring me to death. The tensions as they explore the rooms makes me appreciate my own place. Sorry, I will no longer this before bed!
Oh NOW it’s getting creepy - I was bowling along quite happily for the first few chapters but now it’s an uncomfortable read…Theodora is strange enough but her purpose seems to be a foil for Eleanor, whose reactions are really quite bizarre. I keep thinking she’s been made mad by looking after her mother and missing out on ‘normal’ life and Hill House is drawing this madness out. The novel seems to be saying something about private and public faces and the tension between them. I can and can’t wait to see where this goes next!
Yes great point about private and public faces - the boundaries between public/private, psychological/physical, interior/exterior, fantasy/reality are becoming increasingly blurred . . .
Great to see those photos, which complemented another impressive, brilliantly paced section. Definitely worried about Eleanor...
The pacing is brilliant, isn't it . . .