Edith Nesbit's iconic book "The Enchanted Castle" had the horrible and fearsome uggly wugglies - stuffed caricatures and scarecrows coming to life. Of course the entire book is replete with how, in the night, statues, mythical gods and goddesses and Olympians come to life for whoever wears the ring. I remember shivering at the thought when I was a kid. Would highly recommend it.
I am wondering if Terry Pratchett's 'making alive' of darkness in dwarfish folklore in 'Thud' - a discworld novel - would also interest you. It has a very interesting plot line where first there is darkness that comes alive - the watching dark, the listening dark and so on... and then the protagonist of the plot - Sir Samuel Vimes actually embodies this personified darkness and announces himself as the guarding dark. It was a moment like none other. Off the top of my head, Mary Poppins, Jumanji and Night at the Museum immediately crop up from Hollywood. In Indian fiction, you have loads of instances where these objects or statues come to life. But the example that stays with me is the movie Paheli which was also India's entry for the Oscars that year... where the story is told by two puppets. Not puppets coming to life but more like the puppets as living. Another instance in Indian drama in English is in Girish Karnard's play 'Nagmandalam' where the prologue is a conversation between flames, which, once they have been blown off the dark, gather in a ruined temple to gossip about the village. And they encounter a woman, who claims to be a story - a story that has killed the woman who refused to tell it, and jumped out of her and come to the temple to be told. Just some immediate things that come to head. I hope some of them might be useful. If I think of some more, I will come and list them again :) good luck Nishant p.s. Would like to have a look at the finished page if it is for free distribution/circulation :) On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 5:16 PM, Suresh Ramasubramanian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > Harry Potter, the final battle where the armor pieces in Hogwarts get > animated into knights? :) > > There's random stuff like you describe in the Arabian Nights, and in > various > other eastern folklore. > > srs > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:silklist-bounces+suresh <silklist-bounces%2Bsuresh>=hserus.net@ > lists.hserus.net] On Behalf > > Of Giancarlo Livraghi > > Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 5:14 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [silk] ask a silly question... > > > > This isn't really a silly question. I am working on a book and there > > is > > a page where I am quoting examples of myth, legend, folklore, fairy > > tales, fiction or whatever where a picture or a statue or an "idol" or > > an "icon" turns into a "living" person or some sort of "real thing". > > > > Obviously Pygmalion. Also the picture of Dorian Gray, the Golem, Don > > Juan's "stone guest", the legend of Slappy Hooper ... > > > > (Also movies, such as Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo" or > > Federico Fellini's episode in "Boccaccio 70". Maybe I could also add > > the > > Marshmallow Man in "Ghostbusters", but I'm not sure). > > > > Any other examples? Also from different cultures? > > > > "Silly" or mocking answers will be welcome. But I wouldn't mind > > getting > > a few real suggestions. > > > > Thanks > > > > Giancarlo > > > > > > > > -- Nishant Shah Doctoral Candidate, CSCS, Bangalore. Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 0-9740074884
