by James Turner, et al.
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
BOULDER LITERATURE – SKIP TO A PAGE
ANGELL, PEARL & LITTLE GOD ⎔ BEACH GIRLS ⎔ BOO ⎔ CAESAR ⎔ CHINA FLIGHT ⎔ CHRISTMAS BOOKS ⎔ DEATH DEALERS ⎔ DENVER POST ⎔ DR. NYET ⎔ EUROPE ⎔ FOURTH GHOST BOOK ⎔ GINGERBREAD MAN ⎔ GOLF LIKE THE GREATS ⎔ GOOD NEWS BIBLE ⎔ HOLDING ON ⎔ IN THIS HOUSE OF BREDE ⎔ KING OIL ⎔ MANIPULATOR ⎔ MY NAME IS ASHER LEV ⎔ NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS (RED & BLUE) ⎔ NO END TO THE WAY ⎔ ORANGE WEDNESDAY ⎔ PEANUTS ⎔ SQUARESVILLE ⎔ TEENY WEENY ADVENTURES ⎔ TIGER OF THE SNOWS ⎔ TOWER ⎔ TRAPEZE ⎔ WISH CHILD ⎔ YOUNG JETHRO ⎔ UNIDENTIFIED
The book apparently contains a poem by Turner (which, it turns out, is a selection from his 1942 book Pastoral, which contains four long poems, contemplating the four seasons) in which he concludes “Jonquil breathes into the air/and Lydian chords lift the soul/over death, over Jordan, over/Cruxifiction./ We, children of death, acclaim life.” That seems to echo Kubrick’s own thoughts about how death reacts against life.
Many reviews of the book that I can find say the collection is well put together, and it came out in 1968, so perhaps this resonated with the Kubrick who said what he said to Playboy magazine in that year (“However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light”).
I also wonder about this “fourth” ghost. Turner put out several of these ghost books with the number titles, so Kubrick had his pick. If we count inward, the speaking ghosts we meet are (depending on how you think of Ullman and his staff) 1) The twins, 2) Lloyd, 3) The 237 shapeshifter, and 4) Grady. The twins affect solely Danny. Lloyd and Grady affect solely Jack. The 237 ghost affects Jack and Danny. So, in a sense, both men have three ghosts that come after them. Actually, barring the plethora of skeletons, the same could be said for Wendy; she meets the blowjob pair, and the GREAT PARTY guy. Is the fourth ghost perhaps the Overlook? Is it Jack in the final photo, observed by no one?
There is the idea put forward by some (I’ve never been a fan of this long-standing theory), that there’s an anonymous corpse slumping out of the elevator, upon which the bloodfall falls. It’s true, you can see a rippling effect in the red rum, suggesting that it’s passing over something. And if it’s not purely a consequence of all this water running over itself, then I submit that it’s merely a special device used to help direct the blood into both walls equally. Beneath the red line I’ve drawn below, you can see the wave in the blood that’s being driven against gravity’s natural pull. This wave is consistent for several seconds until the epic crash of red obscures it.
I prefer the idea that Grady/Grady/Jack are the fourth ghosts. That’s what’s looming over Wendy’s shoulder: Jack will become Grady. Maybe that’s the confirmation that Jack really did enter into the Overlook’s repertoire when he froze in the maze. So is Jack the…fifth (overall) ghost…? (Oh, there is a doorman who greets Jack at the Ghost Ball. Should that count?).
Story titles that feel relevant in the collection: Just a Song at Twilight, The Face in the Mirror, The Home Stretch, Consanguinity (has a WWII backdrop, hints at incest; the word means “coming from the same blood”), The Lorraine Cross (has a WWII backdrop, that’s all), Dear Ghost (WWII), and Ivory Joe (this book is in the same room as Wendy’s Ivory and Joy cleaning agents).
Oh, and it’s probably not a thing, but the cover of this book always makes me think of the many eye scream moments in the movie, especially Wendy’s many. And speaking of Wendy, and our knowledge of her as a “confirmed ghost story and horror film addict”, I imagine we’re to think this is her book, which might imply that this is her stack, and therefore meant to apply these novels more to her presence in the film.
Next literary reference: The Beach Girls
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
OTHER MAIN PAGES FOR SHINING ANALYSIS
THE MIRRORFORM ⎔ THE BEATLES ⎔ THE RUM AND THE RED
BACKGROUND ART ⎔ OVERLOOK PHOTOGRAPHS ⎔ GOLDEN SPIRALS
PHI GRIDS ⎔ PATTERNS ⎔ VIOLENCE AND INDIGENA ⎔ ABSURDITIES
THE STORY ROOM ⎔ ANIMAL SYMBOLS ⎔ THE ANNOTATED SHINING
EYE SCREAM 