A couple of days ago, Rachel Swirsky — an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who posts at Alas, A Blog and sometimes comments here on Man Boobz as well — sent along a link to a brilliant, brutal, and horrifying short story she’d recently published in Apex Magazine. Titled “Abomination Rises on Filthy Wings,” the story is essentially her attempt to get inside the mind of a violent misogynist.
As the editor’s note to her story explains:
Swirsky wrote this piece after talking to multiple editors who worked with horror stories, all of whom reported receiving many submissions about men murdering their wives or ex–wives. Despite the fictional veneer and supernatural justification [for the murder], many have the feel of personal revenge fantasies, and most characterize the women through disturbing, misogynist stereotypes. Swirsky wanted to see if it was possible to write a story that included all the markers of the trope but nevertheless subverted it.
In writing the story, Swirsky told me, “I drew heavily on Manboobz for mood and imagery, to try to get the sense of the narrator.”
So, enjoy. But first, I should warn you that the story is very violent, very disturbing, and could very well be triggering. So giant TRIGGER WARNING.
Here’s the LINK.
It’s weird, I’ve seen some BRUTAL movies in my time, but something about reading a really descriptive, disturbing story messes with me a lot more. I’ll take A Serbian Film over reading American Psycho any day.
Don’t why my brain works that way, but it does.
Funny, I’m the exact opposite. I love reading creepy, disturbing stories (I’m even considering the Alien Sex book now, because my tastes really are that weird) but extreme violence in movies makes me wince. Go figure.
MordsithJ, I think with me, reading something crazy makes me think about it more. I have to create the images in my own head and that makes them stick, and usually turn out a lot more fucked up. Watching something, it’s already there, and if things get bad it’s easier to tell myself that it’s fake. Reading something is more… intimate, or sincere sounding, I can’t think of the right words really. It’s hard to explain but words just burn into my mind easier than video.
RE: MordsithJ
I’d HIGHLY recommend against it. Most of the stories were not just skeezy, but also not that good. If you want disturbing stories, I can give you much better recs!
Sure, hit me with ’em.
Oh hey, she wrote “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen’s Window”! I loved that story!
I think she missed the mark just a -tad- on this story though. The subversion’s there, but it only works if the reader is familiar with the concept of the Unreliable Narrator. So I guess it depends on the audience. (I agree, misogynists would totally miss the point.)
@Redcap, I think that’s a good point. I think if I had read this not filtered through Man Boobz, I would have had a very different reaction.
But I definitely think there is a talented writer there, even if I’m not sure this story worked completely. (Rachel, if you’re reading, I hope you don’t think we think you’re bad for writing this. I’d actually love to see you jump in here and talk about the process of writing this!)
it is perhaps one of the most overwrought stories i’ve ever read. it lacks cohesion, particularly as the unreliable narrator cycles from rationality (running from the house), to near insanity (stopping his flight to jerk off?) really? i won’t speculate as to the author’s intent, but clearly there’s a conflation between violent misogynist and sociopathic serial killer. not only does she not manage to “subvert” anything, but the only thing she manages to do is look like someone grossly underinformed about….well, anything that might pertain to telling a story.
i’m sure the dyed in the wool feminists here would be more than happy to disagree, but here’s a factoid for you: i spent both my undergraduate and graduate career, as well as a significant amount of my professional life, reviewing – and editing – horrible writing. i’m not being remotely partisan (too bad, so sad for you) it’s just a bad piece of writing. no matter what idiot gave her a nebula award, or where she’s published. sadly, her other writing might even be good, but with an introduction like this to her work, well, i won’t be buying anything she’s written.
the “dyed in the wool feminists” here have had a mixed reaction to this work, but keep feeling superior to everyone if it makes you happy @ikonografer.
Or, you know, fuck off.
Now really going to sleep.
There’s that whole problem for writers with what you can and can’t expect your readers to understand, and the biggest issue is unreliable narrators: What can you have your characters believe without people thinking that you believe it? At the end of the day, nothing. There’s never a guarantee. Well-established authors have some leeway if the rest of their canon indicates that it’s not what they really believe; new authors pretty much have to accept that the first things they write are establishing in the reader’s minds what they themselves think.
So it’s thorny. But assuming you want to address “What kind of person fantasizes about killing his wife?”, then I don’t think there’s really a better way to do it.
For anyone who doesn’t have the stomach for the whole work, here are three of the italicized portions alone. TRIGGER WARNING: There’s still graphic descriptions of violence.
These are a great illustration of the conflicting mindsets you see in these hardcore misogynists. They’ll post these graphic, masturbatory descriptions of how women are going to be screwed when the revolution comes. Part of them wants it completely unashamedly, even proudly. Another part of them secretly wants it, but realizes it’s socially unacceptable and is aware of the need to distance themselves from it so that they don’t get in trouble with the deluded masses who aren’t ready for the truth. And another part of them realizes it’s wrong–still wants it, but maybe doesn’t want to want it, so there’s always that element of self-loathing.
i would be interested in reading a story refused by editors for being to obvious ‘kill the ex fantasy’.
Does anyone remember what thread that quicksand fetish guy was on?
She doesn’t “think” that, she was TOLD that, did you read the editor’s note? It was inspired by stories that people would send in all the time.
I love when people say that.
Uh… no. Why does some men = every man on the planet? Do you actually think we think this shit is normal?
Kbye.
@ikonografer
Yea, you’re not really breaking any hearts here. Looks like about half of the people who have commented aren’t fans of the story either.
xna232stang, if you think you wouldn’t ever find anything like this on an MRA site, consider the e-book “the comfort girls of conshelf 6,” a antifeminist rape-porn fantasy written by a regular at MGTOWforums.com and posted on Artistry Against Misandry, a (now-defunct) site set up by an AVFM regular and one that was regularly promoted on AVFM.
You can find some excerpts here:
http://manboobz.forummotion.com/t990-new-from-artistry-against-misandry-their-worst-yet?highlight=artistry
I can email a copy of the first half of the ebook if you need to read more of it.
David: We’ve got a socking situation in the Roosh thread that you ought to look at.
I quite liked it, as much as you can use “like” for those kind of stories. The stilted, broken-up element reminded me of some of the old horror stories I read as a kid (minus the sexual violence).
It’s hard to say what I’d think just reading it devoid of context though. I think it’s fairly clear that as a story it is written as a commentary on the narrator, but it works best knowing the where the inspiration came from.
It is pretty disgusting, but that’s the idea.
I found it very well written. I’m a huge fan of writers/songwriters who can inhabit the minds of other people, so I enjoyed the story for the believability of the character. But, I really don’t get why it’s considered subversive. I mean, is this type of character often presented as a hero or something? This is not the case as far as media I’ve consumed but since that’s only a tiny iota of what is out there, this is me genuinely asking
Well that was…different. By which I mean I’d rather be playing my video game and being attacked by heads with arms attached and some really painful claws. That’s obviously pure fantasy, this…well, we’ve seen enough MRA rageporn around here. I can totally see how she got this from the shit they say, but it’s still horrible and Poe’s Law kills it. They’re just so vile that you can’t tell this from the levels they’ll sink to.
xna232stang — we’re so sad to see you go! Oh wait, you’re brand new here…
I am absolutely your of my mind though, you got that part right.
Re: ikonografer — this ine’s been here before right? Ever have anything to say that isn’t TB;DR (too boring)?
ikonografer is thewoolybumblebee’s husband, FWIW.
The two of them are right about how awful AVFM is, but are evidently still wrong about everything else.
@xna232stang: Nice ableism there, asshole.
You know, isn’t a psychopath someone who lacks the ability to feel empathy for others and regret for their actions? As in, they’re genuinely unable to feel them? Yet most of the entitled men who write their fucked-up revenge stories probaby aren’t like that. They are fully capable of empathy, but choose not to feel it towards women. A little dehumanization goes a long way in making normal people think and do terrible things. That’s a way scarier thought than there just being a couple of individuals with anti-social personalities in an otherwise peaceful unicorn rainbow candyland world. And way more realistic, I might add.
Oh, and as has been pointed out: some men =/= all men. Do you need everything spelled out for you?
Bottom line, take your dumb comment and stuff it. Nobody is going to miss you.
There is far worse out there than this. I have read some things online that made me depressed for the human race for a couple hours at least. If most people find this kind of stuff shocking and horrible then I am very relieved to hear it. But it also means that they might need to take their blinders off. The internet has changed our lives for better or worse…sadly the bad side is that it also exposes the masses to some truly evil minds.
LBT – speaking of aliens and humans, I saw this cover and had to show it to you!
Not really seeing the Man Boobz influence either! It feels more like a rehash of a lot of weird-dude-fantasy stuff rather than a comment on. Perhaps I’m too just tired to get it.
While we’re on Bill Oddie, or just a little past him, could I just tell everyone that his Australian tour recently was as “An Oddie But a Goodie”? Somehow that really entertained me.
It’s splatterpunk. I don’t think it quite captures the sense of being put-upon and exploited that is generally exhibited by misogynists. They mostly see women as vampires, not harpies. Using men’s sexual desire to extract money and gain status (because in their world those are the only motivations for anything that human beings do).
It always makes me laugh when I see messages like that. “I’m in enemy territory, where they’ll cut me right down! They’ll hate me for existing! They’ll–”
“Hey, dude, you want a donut?”
“…they hate me, and won’t let me say anything. RUN AWAY!!!”
Dave’s frequently quoted much worse stuff straight from the manosphere. That you think this is all made up and slanderous is just HILARIOUS.