PRIVATE DEMONS: THE LIFE OF SH [Paperback]

She never states her reasons but I assume what made me buy this book are the same reasons that drew the writer, Judy Oppenheimer, to write about Shirley Jackson. It is an effort to try and understand the mind and influences behind such masterpieces as the "Lottery", "We have always lived in the castle" or "Hangsaman". Was she mad? Was she full of fears? What were the influences which worked upon her? Did she - could she - have a normal family life? and how in god's name did she think of all these ideas, were they based on her personal experience?

This is a very good read, partly because of the intriguing heroine and partly due to the good writing (quite dramatic at times). The bottom line is that I did get the answers

to most of my questions. This is a very thorough life story, which even continues after Jackson's untimely death, telling us what happened to all the major people in her life. This account presents Shirley Jackson from every possible angel: a daughter, a wife, a mother, neighbour and friend, and a writer too - but never only a writer. A very troubled person living a life of many contradictions. I guess I never expected her to have been a regular person.

I always wonder about Biographies. Is it all true? It seems that the biographers know more about the person then he knew about himself. We read about Jackson's most intimate details of life (Stanley and Shirley's first night together is just one example), about her inner most thoughts. I believe that the author has had to develop her own theories or choose among the options that were given to her by the many close people surrounding Shirley Jackson ("she made good friends", was one of the things Judy Oppenheimer says about Jackson in her final notes). The writer however presents many seemingly "open" issues as facts. A good example would be the true meaning of Jackson's famous story "The Lottery". There are several versions regarding the creation of this story, a few of them given by Jackson herself. Oppenheimer presents all versions but claims that the "the Lottery" was the purest, most direct expression to Jackson's knowledge of human evil and the painful awareness of anti-Semitism she has acquired over the years. Another example could be Shirley and Stanley marriage which was full of contradictions (he always remained "the important figure" around the house), and many infidelities from Stanley's side. One says you can never tell what goes on between a couple but Oppenheimer seems to be quite confident of her conclusions. I am quite sure she had her sources to term her hypothesis as facts. At other times the writer chooses to take a neutral stand. For example, was Shirley's marriage to Stanley "her greatest fortune or her worst calamity"? we are left to decide for our own.

The book is filled with little details and is based upon dozens of interviews (Jackson's children are a major source). The writer states comments and references made by a host of friends and relatives - no aspect of Jackson's life is left untouched. We learn what she ate, what she drank - how much she drank. What she thought about each of her children, the fights she had with her friends. We learn about her many illnesses, about her high points and her many breakdowns. How her house looked, what she collected - the list is infinite.

Most interesting however are the connections made between he books she wrote and the life she led. Jackson's art was always close to her real life. This connection reached its climax in the book "We have always lived in the castle" - the solution Jackson finds for her heroines is the one she found for herself. Constance and Merricat end living in the castle made to become a fortress, never again leaving it to go out. This was just what happened to Jackson in the time following the publication of the story. This book has also been her reaction to the feeling of withdrawal and rejection she received from the village people amongst which she lived (This is the way I felt every day, she claims). Constance and Merricat were also a portrayal of two parts of herself, and reflected her two daughters. Each book and its major similarities with the life and problems she faced at the time.

At first I used this book more as a reference book I used it to look up Jackson's stories and the books I read through the years. Sort of like comparing or checking my understanding of the story with what the experts says. I was also interested to hear what were the reviews and reactions to these books and stories, especially the ones I liked best.

The story of Jackson life however is too interesting to put down and at times seems as strange and creepy as her books. A very recurrent motif in her books is the battle of the mind itself. This is a motif recurrent in her life too.

I never thought that Jackson's stories were real "horror". They are a very candid portrayal of the evil of human kind. It is interesting to note that a really "bad" character, a murderer in fact, is the very likable heroine of "We have always lived in the castle". Again an example of Jackson's contradictions.

A very interesting book aimed at Jackson's fans or those who appreciate her work.

The book was an engaging read, and one i would recommend, but I was floored by how depressing Shirley Jackson's life was.

I suppose my mistake was reading "Life Among the Savages" and "Raising Demons" before reading the true story behind the funny, anecdotal, pleasant life the other "non-fiction" books presented. I admire her work, and I was saddened to discover the pain in her life - a pain soothed and heightened by alchohol, barbituates, and sleeping pills. An abusive mother (hers, Jackson comes off as a warm loving mother with her moments just like the rest of us), a philandering husband (who saw her genius, and loved her, but still couldn't keep his pants on), and the sad legacy she left behind for her children to cope with. Oppenheimer follows up on their lives, and they appear pretty reclusive and strange (strange can be good, but their brand of strange read as sad).

So, although the book left me saddened, I think it was a fine read- a real page turner at that, and will add new insights into the books of hers I haven't read as well as the ones I have.

Most people find out about Shirley Jackson through her famous story "The Lottery", but her many fans will tell you there is much more to her than that one, admittedly wonderful, story. "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" and "The Haunting of Hill House" are compulsory reads for any Jackson fan, and Oppenheimer's book should be on the must-read list too.

Jackson wrote some fine horror, and some wonderfully funny "women's magazine" humour: "Life Among the Savages" and "Raising Demons". This book makes it easier to understand the woman behind the two very different kinds of work she produced. Oppenheimer has gathered enough detail to paint a picture of a talented, not very pretty, but determined young woman. There are plenty of details about Jackson's work--including, for example, quite some detail about the creation of "The Lottery", which Jackson's husband, the critic Stanley Hyman, apparently recognized at once for the masterpiece it was.

However, the children are as interesting as the books. If you have read Jackson's collections of stories about her children, these portraits will be among the most fascinating parts of the book. Oppenheimer follows up somewhat on the children's lives after Shirley's death, helping to fill in the picture--the youngest, Barry, was only twelve when she died.

Recommended.

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