A Lunar Labyrinth - Trigger Warning; Neil Gaiman

SELF-EVALUATION & BIBLIOGRAPHY

SUMMARY

REVIEW

CHARACTERS

A LUNAR LABYRINTH

By Neil Gaiman From Trigger Warning

QUOTES

NEW TITLE

HASHTAGS

WORDS

FORMAL LETTER

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

By Pablo Gonzalvo

CHARACTERS

We never actually learn the name of the main character of the story. In fact, we never learn any significant traits of any of them due to the shortness but also mystery of the story. We only know that he’s interested in the attractions at the side of roads such as the lunar labyrinth, and that that’s what leads him to meeting the strange creature at the end of the story. However, we never learn his final fate.In my opinion, he’s a strong main character and narrator whose eyes we see the world through, as we’re able to identify with him pretty quickly. Even though he doesn’t get much time to shine, as most of the story focuses on the mystery of the lunar labyrinth, he is used correctly as a device to let us discover said mystery.

NARRATOR

CHARACTERS

Probably the strangest character of the story, we never learn much about him either other than he’s old and he knows much about the labyrinth. We do know that his wife was cured through the enigmatic powers of the lunar labyrinth, and that he seems to know more than he says, as he doesn’t reveal the maze’s secrets until the narrator has almost completely entered it. I really enjoyed this character’s depiction and role, since he can transmit with much success the eerie and ominous feeling that mainly characterizes the story. This is because he knows how to keep his secrets but also because, as he starts to tell them, the tone of the story also starts to shift to darker themes, unveiling what was previously a mystery.

GUIDE

CHARACTERS

This character not only refers to the monster hinted at at the end of the story, but also the idea that is built throughout the story of a potentially dangerous creature or person lurking in the labyrinth. At the beginning we learn that a torturer is rumored to live in the maze, but this idea is replaced by the strange dog-like creature shown at the end. We can assume that it’s some sort of supernatural or mythological (as the latter is refered to explicitly in the story) monster. The whole build-up for this reveal, paired with the rising tension and creepiness along the story, is executed phenomenally, in my opinion. We can conclude that the main point of the labyrinth is that, on a full moon night, one can enter the labyrinth to get cured of any illness that they could suffer if they manage to survive this beast. I think that having it be the main danger in the labyrinth during this strange ritual is really fitting for the dark tone of the story.

MONSTER

NEW TITLE

This new title references the complex process only understood at the end of the story, keeping new readers wondering what it could mean until they finish the reading. Moreover, the word "ritual", usually associated with strange, unknown and, overall, creepy processes, aims to sow a seed of creepiness not understood at first by the reader, reaped towards the end where all dark themes are finally being revealed. Finally, the word "forgotten" is also important as it has to do with the major theme in the story of remembering, forgetting and seemingly never-ending cycles of performed rituals.

SUMMARY

A lunar labyrinth, from Trigger Warning, by bestselling author Neil Gaiman, tells an ominous story about a man made maze consisting of rests of debris and machinery separated by huge hedges acting as walls. Most of the tale consists of the walk the main character does while trying to reach one of these labyrinths, while an old guide tells him how this oddity works. He states that people used to visit it at night. However, it was burned down years ago, and, before that, the guide’s sister miraculously healed from an almost mortal disease. Moreover, the guide states that it was rumored that a torturer wandered around the place at night. At the same time that the ambient and dialogue between the two characters get increasingly more eerie, ominous and dark (the same way the night sky also does), they get closer to the maze. The narrator enters it before seeing a menacing, creepy, monstrous and wolf-like silhouette hiding in the shadows. This text is eerie, as darker, stranger and uncommon aspects of the story unfold in an ambiguous way, leaving the fate of the narrator to our imagination and leaving us wondering what really goes on in that place.

WORDS

1. Hill

2. Attraction

3. Maze

4. Bulls

5. Dusk

6. Those in need

7. False steps

8. Rosemary

9. To growl

10. Lamb

HASHTAGS

#scary

#mystery

#short-story

#neilgaiman

#masterpiece

CHARACTERS

Monster

Narrator

Guide

QUOTES

1. It never ends

2. We would start to walk it the day after the full moon

3. Just someone who tortured people, I guess. I never saw him

4. They talk about the labyrinth of Minos, but that was nothing by comparison to this

5. Teeth. Bulls and cows are rumiants. They don’t eat flesh. The minotaur did

6. Is the moon full?

7. She lived

8. Otherwise, the labyrinth gets to cure you of all that ails you

9. It was the size of a large dog, but it did not move like a dog

10. There’s no killing some things

NEW TITLE

The forgotten ritual

REVIEW

A lunar labyrinth is a short story belonging to a collection of other stories of similar length called Trigger Warning, written by Neil Gaiman in 2015. As such, it tells an enigmatic story about an abandoned structure in just a few pages. It narrates the encounter that a curious man (the main character, who’s interested in abandoned structures like these) shares with the mysterious guide (another important but mysterious character) of a so-called lunar labyrinth while they walk to it. During the route, their conversation reveals creepier and eerier themes with each step, culminating in the story’s climax. Here, most of the mystery gets resolved before finishing with an open and unknown ending. In my mind, its heavy focus on mystery, the moon, darkness (both literal and metaphorical) and creepiness is not only executed perfectly, but also used as means to reflect the story’s moral: is the sacrifice always worth the reward? Moreover, it's re-reading value is through the roof, as tons of things (mostly from the beggining) make more sense or acquire a new meaning. Overall, A lunar labyrinth is a profound and thought provoking story sealed in an ominous envelope, waiting to be opened to delight and intrigue its reader.

SELF-EVALUATION & BIBLIOGRAPHY

Overall, I think both the project idea and my execution of it were great. The mayor challenges I found along the way were two. First; actually choosing and sticking to a story, and second; animating the presentation. The former posed a problem simply because I almost lost a full session due to it. I kept doubting until I finally chose this interesting but also short and not-too-complex story. The latter posed a problem because it took me some time to get all of the animations working uniformly, despite thinking that Genially is a great and easy platform to work with. I really enjoyed the process of reading new stories but also the fact that we could choose ones as short as this one. Perhaps this resulted in a bit of a disappointment to the teacher or even ourselves since we may not have learned as much as some of us could have by reading longer stories, but I think that the current method works much better. I think we're all grateful for the practicality that it offers: a realistic balance between learning and being able to manage the project (both the reading and making of the Genially) during a time of exams and other projects. This made the presentation much less of an issue for me and let me actually enjoy the process of it. Of course, the work sessions during class were also extremely helpful. At home I just finished the Genially and tweaked some other smaller aspects of the project.. Overall, I think this second-term project is nice, comfortable and interesting, and if it stays as it is I'd definitely recommend it for future years.

FORMAL LETTER

Dear Neil Gaiman, I’ve recently read your short-story collection Trigger Warning and I’ve really enjoyed it. In particular, I wanted to talk to you about one of the first ones: A Lunar Labyrinth. This one was by far my favorite one. The eerie atmosphere and enigmatic themes that only get darker as the story progresses really kept me stuck to the screen until I finished the story, craving for more of it! Moreover, the characters only boost this effect. They’re designed perfectly, serving as a device for the plot to move through whilst also not taking up too much space in the limited lines in the story. I wanted to ask you some questions as well. What was your main inspiration for the story? I know that, as stated in the collection’s introduction, the original idea came from your friend Gene Wolfe’s A Solar Labyrinth (Having your title be the opposite of Wolfe’s is a genius idea!). Despite this, what inspired you to have the labyrinth cure people if they survive a full run through it while the “monster” chases them? I’m guessing that doesn’t come from Wolfe’s story as it doesn’t appear in it. Also, what is the creature really? Did you leave it ambiguous on purpose? I’m eager to know your thoughts and answers, Pablo Gonzalvo