On the Road with Penguin Classics The Haunting of Hill House with Ruth Franklin – Halloween Special 2023
Oct 31, 2023
Ruth Franklin, an award-winning biographer and journalist known for her work on Shirley Jackson, joins the discussion in a haunting exploration of the Everett Mansion, possibly the inspiration for Jackson's classic. They unpack the psychological themes of 'The Haunting of Hill House,' linking Eleanor Vance's isolation to the eerie architecture of the mansion. Franklin also discusses the challenges of bringing Jackson's characters to life and how the haunting elements reflect deeper struggles with identity and belonging, perfect for this Halloween season.
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Haunted House As Psychological Probe
- Shirley Jackson turns the haunted-house trope into a probe of fear and identity.
- The novel studies why we fear and what fear reveals about who we are.
Driving Marks Eleanor's New Agency
- Eleanor's solo drive marks a radical assertion of agency and the start of her transformation.
- That act signals a new independence crucial to her vulnerability in Hill House.
Everett Mansion In Jackson's Clippings
- Ruth Franklin found a clipping of the Everett Mansion among Shirley Jackson's inspiration folder.
- She visited the mansion and felt it resembled Hill House in setting and atmosphere.