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NotM Introduction: Lost Girls
By Corvus | October 4, 2007
It’s time for the first Narrative of the Moment feature post. I’ve decided to open with a rather challenging narrative, Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie’s Lost Girls.
Why challenging? Well first of all, Lost Girls is erotic literature in graphic novel form.
Three over sized, hard cover volumes of it, in fact. It’s challenging (for me anyway) to write about erotic literature of any sort without being overly sensitive to the natural occurrence of potential double entendres such as over sized and hard cover. Not wanting to sound immature or smarmy, I obsess over every one, wondering if I ought to leave it in or take it out… or leave it in or take it… out…
Stop, Corvus. Just… stop.
However, if there’s any message in these books (and there are plenty of messages in these books, as we shall see), it’s that one should delight in the expression of our sexual natures. So if you stumble upon a risque turn of phrase in my discussion of these texts, please picture me delivering it with a self deprecating smirk, a broad wink and a non-predatory posture. I have worked too long at Renaissance Festivals to not succumb to occasional bawd.
Secondly, Lost Girls is about three childhood literary heroines of mine–namely Dorothy of the L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wendy of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s (Lewis Carroll’s) Alice of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Not only is it a retelling of their familiar stories as tales of sexual awakening, which I expected, the books actually focuses on the grown women these three girls have become and their chance encounter in a curious hotel in Austria, the Hotel Himmelgarten, which translates as The Garden of Heaven.
If you are easily offended or made severely uncomfortable by sexual themes, which range from extramarital intercourse to incestuous pedophilia, I’d advise passing on these books, as well as my upcoming posts on them. Perhaps you’d enjoy Chesire Crossing a bit more. Even if you aren’t put off by sexual themes, you might still enjoy this web distributed comic about Alice, Dorothy and Wendy (with Mary Poppins and (confusingly enough) Dr. Ernest Rutherford thrown in for good measure).
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be re-reading each volume of Lost Girls and posting my thoughts and impressions at the end of each volume with a wrap up post once all three are finished. Whether you’ve read, or haven’t read, the books you’ll be more than welcome to help me turn my posts into an ongoing discussion about the themes discussed, the role of erotic literature in general and the role of these books in specific. I only ask that we all try and refrain from blatant spoilers and personal attacks. In other words, if your position is immutably against erotic literature in all its forms, this is probably not the best venue for your arguments.
Tagged:alan-moore, Books, lost-girls, melinda-gebbie, NotM. | 7 Comments »
October 4th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
It’s a damn good series of books.
October 4th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I’m sorely tempted to buy Lost Girls and read along with your posts.
October 4th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Hey neat! Just read these recently myself, so I look forward to your posts. I missed Mary Poppins apparently, but I do keep wondering about the significance of Wendy’s husband’s name.
October 4th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
I should clarify that MAry Poppins and Dr. Rutherford appear in Cheshire Crossing, not Lost Girls
October 4th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
In fact, in Lost Girls, Wendy’s husband’s name is Harold Potter… so… yeah.
October 5th, 2007 at 8:41 am
“Three over sized, hard cover volumes of it, in fact. It’s challenging (for me anyway) to write about erotic literature of any sort without being overly sensitive to the natural occurrence of potential double entendres such as over sized and hard cover”
Or overly sensitive, heheheheh
October 5th, 2007 at 8:45 am
That’s the spirit, Chill!