Books like *Misery* or *Phantom of the Opera*?
November 14, 2011 7:55 AM Subscribe
I am writing a story about an artist who is held captive on the condition of creating a work for the captor. I want to know what other works in the same sub-genre are like.
Can you suggest some books and movies with a similar motif, especially where a captive is expected to do something for the captor as a condition of their release?
Thanks!
One (or even two, in a way) of the plots Perdido Street Station is basically that.
posted by griphus at 8:04 AM on November 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by griphus at 8:04 AM on November 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
In the film Sholay, the heroine is captured by bandits and made to dance on broken glass, although not for her own release but for the life of her lover.
posted by emilyw at 8:08 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by emilyw at 8:08 AM on November 14, 2011
The 1001 Nights is the original of this kind of thing. From Wikipedia:
The main frame story concerns a Persian king and his new bride. He is shocked to discover that his brother's wife is unfaithful; discovering his own wife's infidelity has been even more flagrant, he has her executed: but in his bitterness and grief decides that all women are the same. The king, Shahryar, begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning, before she has a chance to dishonour him. Eventually the vizier, whose duty it is to provide them, cannot find any more virgins. Scheherazade, the vizier's daughter, offers herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the king a tale, but does not end it. The king is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins (and only begins) a new one, and the king, eager to hear the conclusion, postpones her execution once again. So it goes on for 1,001 nights.
Also: in Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust, Tony Last is forced to become the companion of a mad recluse in Africa, Mr. Todd, and spends the rest of his life reading aloud the works of Dickens.
posted by londongeezer at 8:14 AM on November 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
The main frame story concerns a Persian king and his new bride. He is shocked to discover that his brother's wife is unfaithful; discovering his own wife's infidelity has been even more flagrant, he has her executed: but in his bitterness and grief decides that all women are the same. The king, Shahryar, begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning, before she has a chance to dishonour him. Eventually the vizier, whose duty it is to provide them, cannot find any more virgins. Scheherazade, the vizier's daughter, offers herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the king a tale, but does not end it. The king is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins (and only begins) a new one, and the king, eager to hear the conclusion, postpones her execution once again. So it goes on for 1,001 nights.
Also: in Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust, Tony Last is forced to become the companion of a mad recluse in Africa, Mr. Todd, and spends the rest of his life reading aloud the works of Dickens.
posted by londongeezer at 8:14 AM on November 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
Calliope, from the Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Dream Country .
She's not the artist, but the muse, but the relationship is as you describe.
posted by V'Ger at 8:36 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
She's not the artist, but the muse, but the relationship is as you describe.
posted by V'Ger at 8:36 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
This idea is used in Arthur C. Clarke's The Fountains of Paradise. It's only a small portion of the book, though.
posted by bryon at 8:36 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by bryon at 8:36 AM on November 14, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, those are great; please keep them coming!
longdaysjourney: yes, Misery is exactly the type of book I am looking for - see title of post.
posted by Atrahasis at 8:48 AM on November 14, 2011
longdaysjourney: yes, Misery is exactly the type of book I am looking for - see title of post.
posted by Atrahasis at 8:48 AM on November 14, 2011
I don't have a specific book to offer, but check out this link about music in Nazi concentration camps. It may be helpful to your insight.
posted by The Deej at 8:55 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by The Deej at 8:55 AM on November 14, 2011
Seconding Misery. And Scheherazade is pretty much the prototype for this sort of character.
posted by hot soup girl at 9:00 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by hot soup girl at 9:00 AM on November 14, 2011
Not a specific book or movie per se, but this is the basic premise for Rumpelstiltzkin (the girl is imprisoned unless/until she can spin straw into gold.)
posted by amy lecteur at 9:01 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by amy lecteur at 9:01 AM on November 14, 2011
I've not read it, but apparently John Barth's a metafictional novella Dunyazadiad is a re-telling of the Scheherazade framing story in which the author appears to Scheherazade from the future and recounts stories from the 1001 Nights to her in order to provide her with material with which to forestall her execution.
posted by hot soup girl at 9:05 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by hot soup girl at 9:05 AM on November 14, 2011
Actually, the whole list of works influenced by One Thousand and One Nights might of use. My favourite is this one: Bugs Bunny portrayed a Scheherazade-like character in his 3rd Movie "1001 Rabbit-Tales". Bugs Bunny must entertain Sultan Yosemite Sam and his son Prince Abba-Dabba with story after story or else be subject to beheading.
posted by hot soup girl at 9:09 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by hot soup girl at 9:09 AM on November 14, 2011
Diary by Chuck Palahniuk is in this vein, though less straightforward than a novel like Misery. Also, the audiobook (read by Martha Plimpton) was, in my opinion, better than reading the novel.
posted by eunoia at 9:36 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by eunoia at 9:36 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
Seconding Calliope the Muse in Gaiman's Sandman: Dream Country. Pretty hard core, that one. : )
posted by bitterkitten at 9:50 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by bitterkitten at 9:50 AM on November 14, 2011
Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang! Grandpa Potts is spirited away to Vulgaria, where he must re-create the amazing car for Baron Bomburst ... but oh no! he didn't build Chitty, Caractacus did!
posted by headnsouth at 9:51 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by headnsouth at 9:51 AM on November 14, 2011
In the 2008 Iron Man movie, "Stark is critically wounded in an assault and finds himself the prisoner of an Afghan terrorist group known as the Ten Rings... The Ten Rings leader, Raza (Faran Tahir), offers Stark his freedom in exchange for building a Jericho missile for the group"
posted by Nickel at 10:42 AM on November 14, 2011
posted by Nickel at 10:42 AM on November 14, 2011
I don't have a specific book to offer, but check out this link about music in Nazi concentration camps. It may be helpful to your insight.
Arthur Miller's play/film Playing for Time deals with this.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:28 PM on November 14, 2011
Arthur Miller's play/film Playing for Time deals with this.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:28 PM on November 14, 2011
The Man in My Basement has a interesting twist on this trope (the captive pays the captor to imprison him).
posted by Wantok at 2:34 PM on November 14, 2011
posted by Wantok at 2:34 PM on November 14, 2011
Atrahasis: Apologies, I obviously didn't read the title of your post.
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:36 PM on November 14, 2011
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:36 PM on November 14, 2011
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posted by Tomorrowful at 7:59 AM on November 14, 2011