Christian Coulson Ghosts

[Sampaguita]

I'm suffering from insomnia mainly because I can't get Henry Winter ("The Secret History") out of my mind. And more and more he's beginning to look like Christian Coulson.

I guess my dilemma is, that I can see a bespectacled CC pacing in my bedroom and I'm wondering why I'm haunted by a character from a book... and why he looks like Coulson.

Or maybe I'm just reading too many things at once as well as spending an inordinate amount of time on this board.

Gosh, I can even imagine CC as Satan in "Paradise Lost." I hope he doesn't appear as Dr. Faustus... but I don't mind being asked if mine was the face "that launched a thousand ships."

[Mandragora]

SEE? SEE? ;D Hehe... good thing I have finished TSH months ago, at least I got some of my attention towards schoolwork.

Despite Christian's 'gangliness', as opposed to Donna Tartt's description of Henry who is supposed to be big... Christian is HIM. There's a fluttering softness about Henry Winter behind the steeliness.

Hm. I am in the middle of Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"... no, the characters there are not so Christian as I imagine (though I know he can play any roles) since that we have a polygamous man despite his love for his wife and another man who is in-love with this woman who cannot seem to have found love ever (so far. Or maybe she doesn't acknowledge love?) The language though, as translated (Kundera is French-Czech, so am not sure what language it was originally written in), is something Christian would probably be uttering, talking initially about Nietzsche's myth of the 'eternal return', and reasoning with the line "Es muss sein!" from one of Beethoven's sonatas.

I can see that Christian can effectively portray characters who are either disturbed, deranged or highly intelligent that borders to schizophrenia (Christian as John Nash? Hm.) He's an extremes kind of characterization, I think, and if ever he plays a 'normal' person, there will always be something lurking beneath the surface.

Yeah, I quite remember, Christian should do an "Il Postino"... hey, he could play the postman... and at the same time, read Neruda for the OST!

How about Christian in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman"? Or maybe, oh yes, as Jay Gatsby. I hate Daisy Buchanan though, i don't see what men in the 20s saw in women like her

[Mandragora]

Oohhh... I just saw a rerun of "The Practice", and I saw this character who would be perfect for Christian.

Well, the character's name is William Hinks. There has been a series of killings of women, all of them decapitated, incised, and opened up and on the night that the ninth woman is killed by the same method, Hinks is found hiding in a nearby basement. Hinks is arrested and gets tried for first degree murder.

The thing is, Hinks has been under psychological treatment. When the police searched his place, they found news clippings and downloaded articles about the eight previous killings, and that puts Hinks in hot water. His lawyer wants him to initially plead not guilty, but then all of a sudden he makes this confession that he did all these killings. His psychiatrist is brought to the witness stand to testify that Hinks has been suffering delusions and is a schizophrenic. The defense's defense goes that Hinks wasn't the killer, he just WANTS to be the killer. That due to his delusions, he thinks he's the one who killed those women.

So Hinks testifies and tells everyone in the courtroom, in such creepy manner "I killed those people! They're mine! Don't take them away from me!" So the defense's strategy (by the way, his lawyer doesn't belive his 'guilt') worked that Hinks is indeed a delusioned serial killer wannabe despite his testimony, while he was being crossed by the persecution. At that testimony, he was describing the beauty of the women he kills, that they are most beautiful at the mercy of death. That he collects all their nails, and never bothers to disarrange their hair (though of course, that would be a rolling head already) because "even the sickest of criminals knows that women wants their hair to be taken care of"... or something to that effect.

So we have this sick man waiting for verdict. The persecution's closing is a brilliant one. He says that Hinks has finely orchestrated his own innocence despite the guilt, by using pawn number one, the psychiatrist, and pawn number two, his lawyers. Hinks' lawyers got somehow convinced by the closing, so they asked Hinks what he thought of the closing of the persecution, and he's like "Oh, everything went according to plan. I just never planned that the persecution's closing would be that good".

It was such a disturbing scene (that was finely acted) while he explained how he had planned his sickness, that he couldn't rid of his doctor, that his testimony was just how he planned it.

He was found not guilty, and his lawyer had to keep from crying. And he was acting like his 'delusioned self' in the courtroom.

While watching it, I could see Christian as a younger Hinks. Though, of course, I already know what will happen to Hinks in the end, since that this episode is about two seasons ago. Hinks, after another long story, will be beheaded, his head stuck in the freezer of his refrigerator. Imagine's Christian's head in the freezer, cold and blue, frozen in shock. How morbidly beautiful.

[lizifer]

i haven't got round to reading 'the secret history' yet it's on my to read list

my mind was drifting towards anne rice's vampire chronicles this morning for some reason, and i started to picture christian as louis. i think he'd make a really good louis

mandragora, that sounds excellent! wish i could have seen it! i'd love to see christian to play some psycotic guy!

[Sampaguita]

I finished "TSH" a about a week-and-a-half ago. And cried like a baby when the two bullets were fired because I could see it coming-- one of the reasons I really didn't want to finish the book.

In any case, I would have been haunted by Henry Winter... but maybe if you hadn't said anything, it would be "Buddy" I would be seeing as Henry instead of Christian. I'm not complaining though. It's really disturbing, though... I was pulled so far into the book that sometimes I swear that I could feel Henry walking down the halls of the English Department... and nobody here dresses like that... or really looks like CC with glasses. I think it's because the English Dept hallways look the way the last scene in the book is described. Actually, I only get that feeling at night.

Actually, come to think of it, "The Little Friend" is kinda haunting to. I only read the prologue and part of the first chapter, but I had disturbing dreams about the little girl Harriet tugging on me and asking "Who killed my brother?"

I'm currently reading Keith Lowe's "Tunnel Vision" (something I also started in the summer but couldn't finish because of school and I was reading 5 other things). I can actually see CC as the protagonist... The book is about this guy who is obsessed with the Tube/ London Underground/ Subway. He's compulsively drawn to the mass transport system... so much so that on the eve of his wedding, he makes a bet that he can visit every Tube station in one day... and finish in time to make it to his wedding. What he puts up for the bet is everything he needs in order to get to his wedding: passport, EuroStar tickets, credit cards, etc. But there's a twist.

But anyways, CC won't leave me alone. He's becoming all the characters I'm currently reading... god forbid I have anymore "Little Friend" dreams with Harriet with CC's face plastered on the little girl's body. For some reason, I feel like he could be the dead brother. Has anyone gotten all the way through "Little Friend"? (I haven't, for the simple reason that the local library has a waiting list for it and I can't afford to buy it... I am, afterall, a struggling student.)

[Mandragora]

Lizifer... Louis is the one Brad Pitt played in "Interview", is that right? Hmm... Christian with paler skin and fangs. What a sight!

Augh, "The Little Friend" hasn't hit the bookshelves yet. I hope I'll get my hands on it this summer, which is 3 months away... Oh I know, that would be my birthday gift to myself! My gosh, I'm ageing, augh. I know that age is just a number, but still, it IS a number and I feel quantified. Very bad

[Sampaguita]

I was gonna get it for myself this X-mas, but with my study-abroad thing this upcoming summer, I have to save money.

Sorry to bring TSH up again for those of you who are sick of hearing about it, but I do have to ask this one question. How long did it take before you stopped being haunted by Henry? I was, once again, in the English Dept. Library this evening-- I was dozing off in a corner and I could almost swear I felt something brush my forehead and when I groggily opened my eyes, I must have fooled myself into thinking that Henry Winter (still looking very much like CC) was sitting in front of me-- you know, seen through that sleepy film in front of your eyes... that space between jumping out of a dream and falling back into reality. I can't get the character out of my system. I have never been this affected by a character in a book before.

While on the subject of being haunted: Let's say CC was a ghost and we'll assume that everyone here would like to be haunted by him. What would the perfect haunting scenario be?

I think that if I was ever to be haunted by anyone, I wouldn't want to know if the being was a ghost. So, he could just be some mysterious guy that I keep running into that just does helpful things like ward off disgustingly disturbing men, sheds insight into whatever I'm working on or going through... etc.

[ausaims]

I am not sure I would like to be haunted. I am completely unable to get the image of a scary ghost out of my mind!!! If there is one thing I love it's to watch/read a good ghost story and be scared stiff for the rest of the night. But as for meeting a ghost, the thought makes me shudder.

It is pretty hot here at the moment and all over the state there are bushfires which is a pain in the butt. The other year we had some really bad ones and it was pretty scary as they were a bit close for comfort. I wish I was already over in England where there is not much chance of a bushfire at the moment! Which reminds me: Sampaguita: were abouts are you planning on studying overseas? I want to do a semester over at the Uni of Liverpool, but law students can only do that in third or fourth year so I've got to wait a bit more. That way I can stay with my relatives.

[Sampaguita]

Actually, the application didn't say which particular university we would be based in. But the city is London. The program I'm applying to only has two cities available to English majors: London and Sydney. I didn't want to go to Australia because when I was 16, I spent 3 months in Auchenflower, Queensland (visiting my uncle) and I wasn't too keen on the climate. I'm a cloudy skies/ cold weather girl.

I don't generally like the idea of being haunted either... which is why I said that I'd rather not know if I was being haunted. I do like the idea of being watched over and helped by a good spirit, though.

[Sampaguita]

Earlier, I said that CC could conceivably be the dead brother... I take that back. I hadn't realized that the character had been 9 yrs old when he died. It didn't feel that way though...

But if you want to find out a bit more about either of the Donna Tartt books, here's a link that you might find helpful. For those of you who haven't read TSH yet, there are a couple of spoilers. Just scroll down to where it says "THE NOVEL IS SET IN A SMALL TOWN..." for non-spoiling info on "Little Friend"

www.laweekly.com/ink/02/50/books-fraser.php

It's a bit on the critical side, and the reviewer didn't really think that TSH lived up to its reputation... but it is informative. I tend to disagree with Ms. Fraser (the reviewer) as I think that TSH was Wonderful-- with a capital W. My only criticism of TSH would have to be that Richard's voice sometimes morphed obviously into Donna Tartt in love with one of her other characters. Richard, who was supposed to be a straight male character, sometimes leaked out Tartt's own feminine POV.

I would say to ignore the negative spin that this review puts on Tartt's work.

I think this person also gravitates towards Bret Easton Ellis... which wouldn't be a bad thing except for the fact that he wrote "American Psycho" and "Glamorama" losing my respect. If he'd just kept to the honesty of "Less Than Zero" he might still be a good author. (Just an opinion.)

[ausaims]

Interestingly enough I was debating between Kings Collge in London and Liverpool Uni, but due to the fact that my relatives live in Liverpool that's why I'd pick that. Although I have friends from down the road who now live in London so I'll be spending some time there. The climate in Sydney is very different from that of Queensland. Queensland and the Northern Territory are the hottest, Tasmania is the coldest.

I guess in a way it would be nice to have some kind of spirit watching over you; sort of like a guardian angel?

[lizifer]

Mandragora said:

Lizifer... Louis is the one Brad Pitt played in "Interview", is that right? Hmm... Christian with paler skin and fangs. What a sight!

yeah that's louis! pitt was good as him but i think christian could play him better and he looks more like my idea of louis

[Mandragora]

If I were to be haunted:

=> I want to feel it like he's my constant companion. It'd be scary at first, but you know... something like this:

*I am walking down the almost secluded path in-front of the main library. Crisp late afternoon, the sun is still high, the nearby cluster of bamboos playing music with the breeze. I am clutching about five books on my chest, one of which is this hardbound copy of "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury. Then I suddenly feel this rush of wind beside me, as if some invisible force ran past me. I hug the books hard on my chest, looking around. I notice the familiar black cat in the near distance as if waiting for me. A sound echoes in the air that sounds like my name. I turn around and look up to the empty gaping windows of the library. A shadow moves behind the dirty glass. I squint at it. I suddenly hear a cat purring near , and I look in-front of me, nearly stepping on the black cat with green emerald eyes. I make a face at it, and decides to hurry to my destination, which is... particularly nowhere.

Then I think of the book I am to read, and start to wonder, "If I were in this Bradbury story, what book would I choose to memorize as to serve the living copy of it?"

"What then?"

Christian is walking beside me, wearing a black suit, a black hat, and a cane. I wink both eyes back to my reality, but there he is, looking down with that grave yet interested look on his face. "What book are you to choose then?," he asks.

Stunned, I look around if someone else sees this stranger beside me dressed as if he's in the 19th century and somewhere in cold and dark Europe. I believe I am in the tropics?

"You're kidding me," I say to him, looking up at him in bewiderment. "Who are you ?"

"You know who I am," Christian says, playing with the cane. "At some point I embody the wonderful words that have been spinning your head while you also wonder when these words can actually become flesh."

I smile at what he just said dryly. "I was taught in my high school that Christ is faith that turned into flesh."

"Ah," Christian says, "Christ. And what a coincidence. I am practically named after Him, after His established faith. Maybe, it is with your words that made me into flesh."

I reach out to touch him, but he takes a step back. "Maybe I got too excited, but you cannot touch me yet."

"I thought you're this flesh... did I lack the words all of a sudden?" I can't help my voice almost sounds like a whine.

He steps closer, and bends down, as if to whisper. "I am not to speak to you. I am to think of you when I sit alone and wake at night alone. I am to wait. I do not doubt I am to meet you again, " he says, quoting the first four lines of my favorite verse. "I do not have to be tasked to memorize those lines since that I live it. In the meantime, maybe the book issue is something you should ponder on. We have a lot to talk about."

A wind swirls hard before my eyes. He's gone. I stare at the path before me, all of a sudden knowing where to go. I clutch the book, and the memory of Whitman's lines suddenly ingrains in me.

"I do not doubt I am to meet you again."

"I am to see to it that I do not lose you," I say to the wind, completing the verse.*

Aw, heck. I just can't bear to see him in other people. You know, I want it to be something like being alone and not being alone at the same time. Also something like a couple walks in-front of me holding hands, and I scowl at them, and then I feel this 'brush' around my hand... and I just know that at least, someone's (or something?) is holding it.

;D

"

[lizifer]

thats one great piece of writing there mandragora!! ;D

[Sampaguita]

Guardian angel? Perhaps... but I'd prefer something of a fallen guardian angel-- as a result of having to read "Paradise Lost."

Speaking of Kings College... a late mentor of mine went there to study musicology.

I have to say that I did like Queensland a lot except for the heat.

And that "haunting" would be amazing... But I'd like to be active in that situation. I think that I'd want him to be a bit more evasive... Almost seduced into chasing the specter. Because then, I'd be less likely to be afraid if I was the one seeking out the ghost.