You bring me sorrow, you cause me pain, Jealousy, when will you let go?
As some of you know by now, I had a short story published late in 2011 - fantasy story involving Faustian deals, aerialsts, demons, and a cripple. If there were any more tropes and cliches in there, it wouldn't be bearable :) Plus several bits of various folklore and mythology woven into approximately 3,700 words. I was so pleased with the result and the overall experience of writing/editing/publishing/announcing/pr
I have found one, due by the end of March, called "Sins of the Seven," and naturally it's going to be about the Seven Deadly Sins, five stories per sin. Being me, I jumped to "OOOOH, LUST." And then I realized, well, that's just too damn easy. Too popular. And, as one gamer/writer told me, "We're a repressed lot. We're going to write about sexual fantasies A LOT." So, heavy competition, little challenge, and too "me."
So I've decided to write about Envy. The green-eyed monster itself. I've started doing some research, as I did on the Dark Carnival story - as my story was mostly set in the 30's, I research the history and traditions of travelling carnivals back in the day. I researched mythology, like peacock feathers and various devil interpretations (mine is based on a variant from the Dominican Republic, although it's not terribly obvious to anyone but me, really). But I wanted to give the story some heft, something that would make it seem almost plausible.
So. Envy. What some argue as being at the root of the other sins, and definitely among the most malicious of them all. Envy is often defined in terms of it's similarly-verdant sister, Jealousy. But Envy tends to be active, while Jealousy tends to be passive. Envy is more about one's self, whereas Jealousy is about other people. For example, Envy is often about what someone else has that takes away from what one wants, and what one will do to get it. Jealousy wants what the other person has/is/does, but it doesn't necessarily mean the person with the jealousy will act on it. Therefore, Envy tends to be more destructive, outwardly to others and inwardly to oneself. It's more inherently sinful.
Some well-known examples that I've been looking up include the oldest story of Envy, of Cain & Abel in Genesis. There's Shakespeare's masterpiece of Othello, of course, from which we get the term, "beware the green-eyed monster." Some famous movies include the professional rivalries in Amadeus, The Prestige and most recently Black Swan.
One of the things about Envy is that it turns on the "owner," in that the envious person gets hit harder with some sort of karmic punishment for their sin. Nina in Black Swan, for example, {SPOILER ALERT] thinks she kills her rival when she really kills herself. Cain kills his brother, but is cast out by God. There's a moral, righteous, and fitting punishment to these wicked sinners. Envy is, to a degree, a self-punishing sin. Not to say, of course, that other sins are not full of punishment (Lust brings disease, for example). Dante's Inferno, in fact, doesn't have a specific level of hell for Envy, but places those with the most active sins towards the bottem (remember, I said this was an active sin!), including Cain, he who first envied (according to the Bible), which we all know led to murder, an active crime. These start with the City of Dis, which if I remember correctly is from the 6th Circle of Hell down to icy, frozen lake of Cocytus in the 9th (and final) Level of Hell.
[Sidenote: I myself am no longer Christian, but I was raised as such, and I find the Sins/Virtues very interesting. Plus, this topic is inherently Christian-based, as today's society views such things. The Greeks had a two different gods of Envy, so of course envy itself pre-dates Christianity, but in terms of the "Seven Deadly Sins," we're talking from a Christian standpoint. Ahem. Moving on.]
Dante does, however, address the Envious directly in the 2nd level of Purgatory (If you're not as familiar with The Divine Comedy, which I've read, the mountain of Purgatory is a direct mirror reflection of Hell - meaning that which was first in Hell will be the last in Purgatory. Which is Lust, incidentally. This set-up indicates that Lust is one of the lesser sins (in Hell) and one of the easiest to work off (in Purgatory). Envy, however, is extremely low down on the mountain which means the sinner has a long, long path to go before earning his way to Paradise. This also corresponds with the reflection in Hell, with the Envious traits being just above betrayal to God). This level of Purgatory ALSO mentions Cain, and the envy that led to the fratricide of Abel.
In more classical mythology, there's the examples of the Greek Erinyes/Roman Furies, although they tend to be a little more "after-the-fact" than the "causing-the-commotion." Then there's also the spirits of Zelos, of "eager rivalry, emulation, envy, jealousy and zeal," Phthonos of the romantic jealousy and Eris, "strife as the driving force of competition." [As noted right here]. This could go on and on, but I think you get the point.
[According to some sources, the Erinyes sprang from the blood of the Titan Uranus, when he was castrated and the testicles thrown into the sea. Their polar opposite, Aphrodite, the goddess of Love and Beauty, came from the same source, but she came from the seafoam instead of the blood. Interesting, no? That love and vengeance come from the same source, which also happens to be the most primal place on the body...A story about love versus envy is almost TOO easy, though, unless it was written as an allegory].
So anyway, I'm just kind of talking through this story concept in my head/in my LJ. The Dark Carnival story was, in some ways, much easier. As soon as I heard the parameters (set in Cobalt City, a superhero city, with a once-a-generation demonic carnival in town), the story practically wrote itself in my head. This time, the parameters are different, and in some ways a little more vague - pick a sin. So I have several ways to go on this - write it sympathetic to the envious, or to the envied? Give it a fitting punishment with a moralistic dénouement? A happy ending, or a not-happy (sad, angry, vengeful, ambiguous) ending?
I am interested in what other people think of Envy. I made a quick post over on FB, but can go into more detail here. When you see/read/hear a story of Envy, which do you identify with more, the person who envys or the person being envied? What is it about the story that "gets" you? Is it that you think you could never do that? Or is it that you understand all too well that feeling? Is it secrectly uncomfortable where it hits a nerve? Does it leave you wondering how people could do such terrible things, to themselves or others?
Also, in case you are interested, here is Dark Carnival, which is available for purchase (SUPPORT LOCAL PUBLISHERS!) and here is my author interview.
Okay, that's enough for now. Off to let things percolate...
I have found one, due by the end of March, called "Sins of the Seven," and naturally it's going to be about the Seven Deadly Sins, five stories per sin. Being me, I jumped to "OOOOH, LUST." And then I realized, well, that's just too damn easy. Too popular. And, as one gamer/writer told me, "We're a repressed lot. We're going to write about sexual fantasies A LOT." So, heavy competition, little challenge, and too "me."
So I've decided to write about Envy. The green-eyed monster itself. I've started doing some research, as I did on the Dark Carnival story - as my story was mostly set in the 30's, I research the history and traditions of travelling carnivals back in the day. I researched mythology, like peacock feathers and various devil interpretations (mine is based on a variant from the Dominican Republic, although it's not terribly obvious to anyone but me, really). But I wanted to give the story some heft, something that would make it seem almost plausible.
So. Envy. What some argue as being at the root of the other sins, and definitely among the most malicious of them all. Envy is often defined in terms of it's similarly-verdant sister, Jealousy. But Envy tends to be active, while Jealousy tends to be passive. Envy is more about one's self, whereas Jealousy is about other people. For example, Envy is often about what someone else has that takes away from what one wants, and what one will do to get it. Jealousy wants what the other person has/is/does, but it doesn't necessarily mean the person with the jealousy will act on it. Therefore, Envy tends to be more destructive, outwardly to others and inwardly to oneself. It's more inherently sinful.
Some well-known examples that I've been looking up include the oldest story of Envy, of Cain & Abel in Genesis. There's Shakespeare's masterpiece of Othello, of course, from which we get the term, "beware the green-eyed monster." Some famous movies include the professional rivalries in Amadeus, The Prestige and most recently Black Swan.
One of the things about Envy is that it turns on the "owner," in that the envious person gets hit harder with some sort of karmic punishment for their sin. Nina in Black Swan, for example, {SPOILER ALERT] thinks she kills her rival when she really kills herself. Cain kills his brother, but is cast out by God. There's a moral, righteous, and fitting punishment to these wicked sinners. Envy is, to a degree, a self-punishing sin. Not to say, of course, that other sins are not full of punishment (Lust brings disease, for example). Dante's Inferno, in fact, doesn't have a specific level of hell for Envy, but places those with the most active sins towards the bottem (remember, I said this was an active sin!), including Cain, he who first envied (according to the Bible), which we all know led to murder, an active crime. These start with the City of Dis, which if I remember correctly is from the 6th Circle of Hell down to icy, frozen lake of Cocytus in the 9th (and final) Level of Hell.
[Sidenote: I myself am no longer Christian, but I was raised as such, and I find the Sins/Virtues very interesting. Plus, this topic is inherently Christian-based, as today's society views such things. The Greeks had a two different gods of Envy, so of course envy itself pre-dates Christianity, but in terms of the "Seven Deadly Sins," we're talking from a Christian standpoint. Ahem. Moving on.]
Dante does, however, address the Envious directly in the 2nd level of Purgatory (If you're not as familiar with The Divine Comedy, which I've read, the mountain of Purgatory is a direct mirror reflection of Hell - meaning that which was first in Hell will be the last in Purgatory. Which is Lust, incidentally. This set-up indicates that Lust is one of the lesser sins (in Hell) and one of the easiest to work off (in Purgatory). Envy, however, is extremely low down on the mountain which means the sinner has a long, long path to go before earning his way to Paradise. This also corresponds with the reflection in Hell, with the Envious traits being just above betrayal to God). This level of Purgatory ALSO mentions Cain, and the envy that led to the fratricide of Abel.
In more classical mythology, there's the examples of the Greek Erinyes/Roman Furies, although they tend to be a little more "after-the-fact" than the "causing-the-commotion." Then there's also the spirits of Zelos, of "eager rivalry, emulation, envy, jealousy and zeal," Phthonos of the romantic jealousy and Eris, "strife as the driving force of competition." [As noted right here]. This could go on and on, but I think you get the point.
[According to some sources, the Erinyes sprang from the blood of the Titan Uranus, when he was castrated and the testicles thrown into the sea. Their polar opposite, Aphrodite, the goddess of Love and Beauty, came from the same source, but she came from the seafoam instead of the blood. Interesting, no? That love and vengeance come from the same source, which also happens to be the most primal place on the body...A story about love versus envy is almost TOO easy, though, unless it was written as an allegory].
So anyway, I'm just kind of talking through this story concept in my head/in my LJ. The Dark Carnival story was, in some ways, much easier. As soon as I heard the parameters (set in Cobalt City, a superhero city, with a once-a-generation demonic carnival in town), the story practically wrote itself in my head. This time, the parameters are different, and in some ways a little more vague - pick a sin. So I have several ways to go on this - write it sympathetic to the envious, or to the envied? Give it a fitting punishment with a moralistic dénouement? A happy ending, or a not-happy (sad, angry, vengeful, ambiguous) ending?
I am interested in what other people think of Envy. I made a quick post over on FB, but can go into more detail here. When you see/read/hear a story of Envy, which do you identify with more, the person who envys or the person being envied? What is it about the story that "gets" you? Is it that you think you could never do that? Or is it that you understand all too well that feeling? Is it secrectly uncomfortable where it hits a nerve? Does it leave you wondering how people could do such terrible things, to themselves or others?
Also, in case you are interested, here is Dark Carnival, which is available for purchase (SUPPORT LOCAL PUBLISHERS!) and here is my author interview.
Okay, that's enough for now. Off to let things percolate...