Rachel Swirsky climbs inside the mind of a violent misogynst
A couple of days ago, Rachel Swirsky — an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who posts at Alas, A Blog and sometimes comments here on Man Boobz as well — sent along a link to a brilliant, brutal, and horrifying short story she’d recently published in Apex Magazine. Titled “Abomination Rises on Filthy Wings,” the story is essentially her attempt to get inside the mind of a violent misogynist.
As the editor’s note to her story explains:
Swirsky wrote this piece after talking to multiple editors who worked with horror stories, all of whom reported receiving many submissions about men murdering their wives or ex–wives. Despite the fictional veneer and supernatural justification [for the murder], many have the feel of personal revenge fantasies, and most characterize the women through disturbing, misogynist stereotypes. Swirsky wanted to see if it was possible to write a story that included all the markers of the trope but nevertheless subverted it.
In writing the story, Swirsky told me, “I drew heavily on Manboobz for mood and imagery, to try to get the sense of the narrator.”
So, enjoy. But first, I should warn you that the story is very violent, very disturbing, and could very well be triggering. So giant TRIGGER WARNING.
Here’s the LINK.
Posted on August 26, 2013, in a woman is always to blame, advocacy of violence, awesome, boner rage, cuckolding, disgusting women, domestic violence, drama kings, evil sexy ladies, girl germs, men who should not ever be with women ever, misogyny, oppressed men, penises, precious bodily fluids, sympathy for murderers, taking pleasure in women's pain, violence and tagged horror, misogyny, rachel swirsky, violence. Bookmark the permalink. 152 Comments.
pecunium (and with some apologies to everyone else for doing it this way-maybe we should take it to the forums if we want to keep going?):
Fb, jul unir guvf yvggyr fnyir gb gur pbafpvrapr? Vg’f n qrivpr: vg’f na nggrzcg gb znxr gur pbageby ebbz zber flzcngurgvp, naq vg uhegf gur aneengvir.
Vs lbh gnxr gur ‘cnpg’ nccebnpu, vafgrnq bs gur nppvqragny qvfpbirel nccebnpu, guvf vf cerggl zhpu nppbhagrq sbe-gur Tbqf ner qrznaqvat gung guvf or qbar sbe gurz. Enaqbz pehrygl nybar jba’g nppbhag sbe vg-vg zhfg or rkcyvpvg. Naq cneg bs vg vf gb sbepr gur ivpgvzf gb unir fbzr frafr, ng fbzr cbvag, bs thvyg va gurve bja qrzvfr.
Vs jr gnxr nf n tvira gung gur ‘fraq va gur gebbcf’ abgvba jbhyq ABG jbex (zl vqrn gung gur qrnguf ZHFG or gur erfhyg bs gur npgvbaf bs gur ivpgvzf be gur zbafgref, abg gur ntrapvrf birefrrvat gur fnpevsvpr), gura vg orpbzrf pyrne gung Wncna qvqa’g gnxr gubfr fgrcf orpnhfr gurl jbhyq unir orra hfryrff. Gur Nzrevpnaf ernpgrq jvgu n snveyl hfryrff nccebnpu orpnhfr jr’er Nzrevpnaf naq ernpuvat sbe bhe thaf va n pevfvf vf jung jr qb.
Guvf jbhyq npghnyyl or nppbhagrq sbe ol gur irel cbvag lbh envfr nobir. Nzrevpna fbpvrgl graqf gb or zber that-ub, trarenyyl. Va n pevfvf, jr ernpu sbe n tha. Fb juvyr gur Wncnarfr Pbageby Ebbz svaqf vgfrys syhzzbkrq orpnhfr bs n bapr-va-n-yvsrgvzr fhpprff ba gur cneg bs gur fnpevsvpvny lbhgu naq snprf snvyher fgbvpyl, gur Nzrevpnaf cnavp naq pnyy va gur gebbcf, rira gubhtu gung jbhyq snvy hggreyl gb qrny jvgu gur ceboyrz. (Gb or pyrne, gur vqrn vf gung gur gebbcf ner abg fhccbfrq gb unir nal pbagnpg jvgu gur ivpgvzf, ng nyy. Gurl’er gurer fbyryl gb gel naq ebhaq hc rfpncrq zbafgref, be gb xrrc njnl pyhryrff olfgnaqref jub zvtug gel gb vairfgvtngr jung unccrarq gb gur fnpevsvprf.)
Gung’f jul gur cnpg vqrn jbexf orggre guna gur nppvqragny qvfpbirel abgvba, cnegvphyneyl nqqerffvat lbhe pbapreaf. Gur vqrn jvgu gur cnpg vf gung gur Qnex Tbqf ner, va rffrapr, gblvat jvgu bhe ragver fcrpvrf. Gurl’yy yrg hf eha nf ybat nf jr pna, nf ybat nf jr xrrc nzhfvat gurz. Jura jr snvy, tnzr bire. Fb gurer’f ab ‘enpr gb svaq arj fnpevsvprf’-jr’ir unq bhe punapr, naq jr oyrj vg, fb jr’er qrnq. Gur ehyrf ner neovgenel cerpvfryl gb nzc hc gur pehrygl bs gur tnzr. Vg gnetrgf gur lbhat orpnhfr gung znxrf gurve fhssrevat naq qrngu zber ovggre naq jnfgrshy.
I should note-since I’m now in the territory of introducing elements not in the script, though not contradicting it (that I can see), I’m pretty much conceding that the exposition is weak at specific points and would benefit greatly from some shoring up. I just don’t think that the lack thereof makes the whole movie a failure.
Are you two attempting to awaken the elder gods?
It would appear to be so.
And thanks to all the fanwork I’ve gotten, I had to finally make an official post regarding it: it is cool. I like it. And if people make it for certain stories, I will with permission, credit, and link back the pic with the story. WOO.
Just remembered this (very creepy) animated short film, “Harpya”, from Belgium, with a similar theme. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYiS6lmc_H0
Argenti: It’s all in an attempt to be polite, but I realized it wasn’t very effective at not disrupting the thread, which is why I suggested moving to the forum in my last post. Sorry to those caught in the spillover.
freemage: I think that,as a bog-standard horror movie it’s fine. What it fails utterly to do (for all the reasons we’ve discussed) is subvert the tropes.
And (sorry, long day at work) the reason so many sing it’s praises, is they see it as subverting those tropes.
Freemage — oh I was ripping off what pecunium said earlier, no worries!
Oi, I would like to read the discussion of Cabin in the Woods going on here. Do I need a course in code cracking or what? Jeez.
Marci — copy and paste it all into rot13.com
I think there’s a number of points that work in the moment that turn the fridge logic up to 10.
Gur zrgncube bs pbageby ebbz sbe nhqvrapr erznvaf cbjreshy. Gur purrevat juvyr crbcyr qvr cneg fznpxf zr va gur snpr rirel gvzr V jngpu vg.
But ultimately, I’ve said about twenty times in the last week, the failure mode of satire is when it comes off as just a straight version of what it’s trying to deconstruct/mock/explicate.
It worked for me, but it may have worked for me because I was expecting it and looking for it. And a movie that tries to have it both ways-to be satire and straight-up horror-is always going to be susceptible to that kind of failure.
Howard:
V jnf arire fher vs gur nhqvrapr jnf fhccbfrq gb or Pbageby, be gur Ryqre Tbqf. Va gur ynggre pnfr, Pbageby vf zber yvxr gur fghqvb urnqf-”Jr unir gb tvir gurz jung gurl jnag, naq jung gurl jnag vf gur sbezhyn.” Vg jbexf cnegvphyneyl jryy va gur ‘svefg xvyy’ fprar jurer gurl’er jnvgvat sbe gur tvey gb or gbcyrff-abg orpnhfr gurl jnag ure gb or, ohg orpnhfr gung’f cneg bs gur ehyrf ynvq qbja ol Gubfr Orybj.