The Malaysian Insider :: Books
The Malaysian Insider :: Books |
| Why vampires? Book looks at science behind monsters Posted: 08 Nov 2012 06:27 AM PST
So argues science journalist Matt Kaplan in "Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite: The Science of Monsters," an examination of monsters around the world and throughout history - the science behind their origins, and why they matter to us even now. "When our kids ask for monster stories around the campfire, they are behaving in a way that is not dissimilar to lion cubs," Kaplan said in an email. "Lion cubs play fight so they can test out their skills in a safe place where nobody is going to get maimed or killed. Monster stories serve a similar purpose, they allow us to face our worst fears without the risks that are normally associated with them." Some are simple. The Kraken tales of mammoth monster squid, along with the Leviathan of the Bible, are most likely based upon the existence of real creatures such as whales. The terrifying Medusa of Greek myths, with her hair made of snakes and a gaze that could turn things to stone, may have been distantly connected to the idea of fossils for ancient people, with the snakes in her hair an example of pure fear. Though mentions of vampire-like creatures exist as early as ancient Greece, it took hundreds of years for tales of the creatures to gradually evolve into the haunting undead of more recent history. Accounts of people found in their graves with blood on their lips and their stomachs seemingly full, as if they had just eaten, may be explained by simple decay, with gas buildup throughout the body sometimes pushing blood up from the lungs. Elongated canine teeth and fingernails was due to skin shrinking after death and pulling away, making both more prominent. Later, greater awareness of contagious diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis - which could cause people who came in contact with the ill person to also sicken and die - further contributed to the myth. This was especially true due to incubation periods that weren't understood at the time, making it unclear how the diseases were being spread. "One death would follow another in a dominolike progression," writes Kaplan. "In a morbid sense, these patients were literally killing their friends and relatives, but from their deathbeds rather than the hereafter." But vampires have now undergone a radical transformation, a process that began with the publication of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" but has speeded up in recent years. "If tuberculosis, influenza, rabies and bloated bodies are the human experiences from which Dracula came, how have we now ended up with the kind, honorable and handsome Edward Cullen?" Kaplan said. For one thing, modern science has uncovered the mechanism of various diseases, which remain a fear but now appear as their true selves, as in stories such as "The Andromeda Strain." Vampires have also become increasingly charming, transforming their original monster nature into something else. "In a world where the seemingly most virtuous individuals all too often fall prey to vice, public interest in good souls battling their own bestial natures is higher than ever, and vampires provide exploration of this," Kaplan added. In the future, fears are likely to focus on things like genetic manipulation - think Jurassic Park - and also from technology, with worries about what computers might do with true artificial intelligence looming large. "What I find most interesting here is that these monsters really require human participation in their creation," he said, noting the popularity of films like "Avatar" and "Planet of the Apes," where monsters are the heroes and the humans, monsters. Why are we so comfortable with feeling elated as inhuman beasts rip apart people? I think a long, hard look in the mirror can provide a lot of answers," he said. — Reuters |
| Dinosaur digger disappearance sparks murder mystery Posted: 08 Nov 2012 02:26 AM PST
Patricia Cornwell's new book, "The Bone Bed", which was released this month, is the 20th novel featuring the currently Massachusetts-based Scarpetta and her cast of supporting characters. Scarpetta is initially puzzled by the video but soon suspects a connection to gruesome crimes much closer to home even as she deals with problems in her closest personal circle. Award winning Cornwell, 56, is the former director of applied forensic science at the National Forensic Academy and a member of the Advisory Board for the Forensic Sciences Training Program at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, New York City. The author of 19 previous Scarpetta novels and five non-Scarpetta books, the Miami-born Cornwell lives in Boston with her partner and their four-year old British bull dog "Tram". Cornwell talked to Reuters about her affection for Scarpetta and the inspiration and ideas for her books. Q: How did you arrive at the Scarpetta series? A: "Scarpetta walked into my life in the 1980's at a time no one wanted to write about these things and she has evolved over the years. She is a character I enjoy working with and I am not bored with her." Q: What prompted this particular plot? A: "I got a call from Dan and Donna Akroyd, saying they were going on a dino (dinosaur) dig and they asked us to go. I said to my partner, 'How do you say 'no' to that?' It was in Alberta, Canada very close to Alaska. No electricity, very muddy, very rainy. I thought, 'Oh boy, someone could get murdered here,' and, of course, that is what happened." Q: How do you bring in perpetrators? A: "It's an organic thing. I don't know who it's going to be. I work a story as if I am working a case and not all the answers are up. A great deal of the suspense for the reader comes as the reader is feeling what I am feeling." Q: Why crime writing? A: "I became immersed in it after graduation. I worked for the Charlotte Observer and they promoted me to the police beat. I had no exposure and I didn't even want the job. Bad hours, in your car at all hours of the night but I got into it. Today, if Scarpetta dons a dry suit to untangle a body, I don a dry suit. Whatever it is, within reason, I try to do it." Q: Is anything autobiographical in your books? A: "There is always something, some experience of mine. Something I like to cook is something Scarpetta is cooking. When I went to the dinosaur dig, I didn't have any idea of writing about it. It's a tapestry woven in by life and what I know about other people." Q: Who was your biggest influence as a writer? A: "Hemingway. I think he's so physical in how he describes the world he inhabited. I like to have one of his books on my desk. I want my reader to have that palpable experience — to be in the rain or on a boat. I try to learn from people who are really good at what they do." Q: Why do you write? A: "I started writing as a little kid. It was a coping mechanism for me. I loved my imagination. I loved drawing pictures, making little books as a kid, writing poetry. It was only when I went to college I thought, 'It's right under your nose what you love to do.' If I don't do it for long periods of time, I am really not happy." Q: Do you still enjoy book tours and signings? A: "I do. I get tired. You do 25 interviews in a one day, you fight not to lose your voice. But it's validation to meet these people. I am very fond of my fans and thank them for reading my books." |
TOKYO, Nov 8 — The suave and sensitive Edward Cullen of "Twilight" may be the norm for vampires these days, but fictional monsters such as Dracula originally sprang from the fear of inexplicable diseases and the mysteries of death in the natural world.
NEW YORK, Nov 8 — Medical examiner Kay Scarpetta receives a short video clip by email but the closing image of a severed ear is enough to start her investigating the disappearance of a woman paleontologist from a dinosaur dig 2,000 miles away in Alberta, Canada.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Books To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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