"Green Animals," topiary in "The Shining," and "Pet Sematary"
Steve Drost
: Wondering where Derry is reminded me of something else I wondered about.
: Shortly after reading _The Shining,_ I happened to visit "Green Animals,"
: which is one of the Newport Mansions. These are eight properties owned by
: the Preservation Society of Newport, open to the public, frequently
: visited by tourists, etc. Most of them are wretched-excess Gilded Age
: "cottages," The Breakers being the most famous. Green Animals, however,
: has a house of almost normal stature--but a huge topiary garden, with
: some hundred-odd pieces, mostly animals.
: It's been a while since I've read _The Shining_ but as I recall the
: topiary garden contains animals which appear to be topiary while you
: are looking directly at them, but advance menacingly on you out of the
: corner of your eye--and you _can't_ watch all of them _at once._
: Green Animals is not the only topiary garden, and Newport isn't
: particularly close to Maine, but nevertheless I wondered if King had
: seen it. What made me _really_ wonder is this: it turns out that
: Green Animals _contains a pet cemetary_. The memorials are flat
: stones level with the ground, and professionally carved (not like the
: ones made by children in Pet Sematary). No Micmac connection. Still, the
: juxtaposition of _two_ King themes in one place made me wonder.
: --
: Daniel P. B. Smith
: dpbs...@world.std.com
I'm sure that there are more of those topiaries around; it's not
the first time I ever heard of it. But I tend to agree; the
juxtaposition of the topiary and the pet cemetary _is_ enough to
make one wonder whether or not it might be more than just a
co-incidence. I'm working on The Shining for about the fourth
time right now, and I also agree that the idea of the animals
advancing on you when you're not looking is _absolutely_
_terrifying_. Fantastic. All Hail the King!
--
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Steve Drost "They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
Dordt College DC 338 For trying to change the system from within
Sioux Center, IA. I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
51250 First, we take Manhattan...
lcs...@cc.dordt.edu ...then we take Berlin."
-Leonard Cohen
Everyone has a right to be stupid. Don't abuse it.
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