Week 14 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

-
Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was definitely on my reading list for a long time, so I’m glad I got to take time to listen to the original radio version, which I feel is so much better because hearing the voice acting really helps the delivery of the storytelling.
I love the idea of Hitchhiker’s Guide because I’m greatly fond of absurd British humor. The whole radio series is done in this deadpan tone, which goes fantastic with all the over the top and silly stuff that happens in the story. One of the best examples of that shows through Marvin. It’s incredible that there’s just this robot designed to be smart but, also to be extremely depressed. Everything he says is horribly sad about his life, but it just ends up making him horribly relatable and that makes his character so funny.

In addition to that, I love how they casually blow over a lot of the seemingly serious things that happen in the series. There was really no sentimental emotion over the Earth being destroyed, Arthur was only bummed because he liked his house and didn’t want it to be torn down for a bypass.. Same idea with when Arthur thought Slartibartfast’s people were all dead, but they were just sleeping through an economic recession. And of course there’s also the famous Answer to the Universe and Anything, just 42. There seems to be so much buildup to the background of these situations, but the actual reasoning behind them are just so underwhelming that it ends up being hilarious.
Something else in this series that caught my interest is the heavy existentialism mixed in with irony. I remember there being a part where the mice were the ones who paid for the development of the Earth for the purpose of experimenting on the human race, which is of course funny because normally, it’s the other way around. There’s even questioning of the existence of god in the beginning of the series, which makes sense since Adams is atheist and he incorporates that into the series often.

Overall, the radio broadcast was fun to listen to. There’s a lot of aspects of the series that I love, and a lot of it pertains to my sense of humor.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week One - Frankenstein

-
Week One - Frankenstein Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein contained quite a few gothic themes, which is no surprise for a classic horror novel. I read the graphic novel version of the story, which seemed to tell the tale very well and I was able to catch the dark themes of the story with no issue. The concepts that describe the premise of the story the most are fear and death. After Victor Frankenstein created his monster, he and everyone that laid eyes upon it immediately became terrified of the creature, since it’s basically a sentient amalgamation of dead body parts. There would be no doubt that the monster would be horrifying to look at, but almost no one took time to consider the monster’s emotions. As the story progresses, Victor’s worries and regrets towards the monster takes the overall feeling of the novel downhill into depression. When the monster confronts Victor and talks to him about its experiences after it runs away, its story almost feels like a metaphor for harsh real
Read more

Week Five - Redlands

-
This week I read a few issues of Redlands . This comic was so beautifully illustrated and the first thing that stood out to me was the feminist themes occurring through the characters. I noticed that a lot of the men seem to be very relentless, most of them being huge perverts, creeps, or even rapists. I think the only male characters remotely kind within this story were the witches’ forensics man and Lawrence. Even from the beginning, the men appeared to be demonized. I found this ironic reading the first chapter though, because the men were taking refuge in a cabin, addressing the witches as bitches and demons. This aspect of the story is interesting though, because I notice how witchcraft is a common theme for feminist statements, which makes sense, since they’re very powerful, immortal women. I also have to comment on how beautiful the artwork and writing in Redlands is. The body positivity and diversity are some things that makes this comic stand out from others. You can
Read more

Week 12 - I Live With you

-
Carol Emshwiller's story, I Live With You, was kind of creepy but I found it to be a fun little read for this week. The mysterious being that lives with the woman in the story reminded me a lot about the folklore of tontu, or gnomes, that are magical creatures that are able to live within people's houses and being barely noticeable. So while many find this story creepy, I found it a little fun. I probably wouldn't mind having this thing living in my house, since it's not really causing any arm to the woman. All it does is wear her clothes and buys stuff for her. Not to mention, it tries to get her a boyfriend. That thing is the ultimate wingman! Something I found odd was how this thing living with the woman brings her someone to get with, but then starts trying to seduce him as well. Ironic because it claims multiple times that it doesn't steal, which it sticks to its word in the end, but it still made an attempt. It makes me wonder, what is its purpose and why
Read more