Just a quick post regarding some light reading over the last few weeks.
Agatha Christie - Sleeping Murder, A Caribbean Mystery
Stephen King - The Gunslinger, Dark Tower Book 1
Yet again I come to Ms. Christie for my light reading. She's a genius at messing with my mind. I can devour one of her mysteries in a few hours, and still want more. Both of the above titles are Miss Marple mysteries, and once again I am struck by how much Christie seemed to love the uncanny wrapped in the mundane.
There is a phenomenon in psychology and computer programming called the Uncanny Valley, in which an artificial representation of a human (like a robot or a CG character) is charming when it is very obviously not human, disturbing when it is a close but imperfect facsimile, and becomes more acceptable again as it closes in on perfect imitation. The "Valley" in the uncanny valley refers to the sudden decline and following rise in positive response from a human observer as the artificial human approaches perfection. Psychologists have wondered whether this is related to a deep-seated human fear of the unknown, or of replacement by an artificial doppelganger.
Hypotheses also exist regarding the evolutionary value of having a negative reaction to someone who is human and by all appearances upstanding but something seems "not quite right". I think Christie's works, in particular Miss Marple, are a perfect example of this. Sensitivity to minutiae in human behavior that seem "not quite right" is what infallibly leads Christie's detectives to uncovering evil. This sensitivity saves lives.
The well-bred gentleman sitting next to you at a party might just that morning have murdered his niece. The young woman combing her hair might be hiding her lover's dead body in the closet. The sweet old lady knitting in the corner might be watching you much more closely than you think.
Monday, July 25, 2011
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