Allusions In Balar

When I started The Curse of Balar, I wanted to evoke the classic gothic horror stories that I grew up with. The uncanny feeling of unease, the terror of the unknown, folkloric monsters that feel both alien and familiar. I wanted to put my own spin on the classics and (hopefully) say something new.

Why use allusion? Well, there are many reasons. Intertextual references can contextualize the story, situate it in the right time or genre. Authenticity, familiarity, and so forth. The allusions in this series do that, yes, but most of all, I wanted to set expectations.

Why do I want to set expectations? Well, as one of the characters say “that remains to be seen“. Just trust me on this.

Allusions So Far

Most of these will already be obvious to readers of horror classics and you do not need them spelled out. My hope is that the uninitiated will be inspired to explore the classic works (you should, they are classics for a reason).

These are just a few of the allusions

The Patron. The mysterious man in the castle is a reference to Count Dracula, of course. The story, The Patron, even employs the correspondence style that Bram Stoker so brilliantly employs in his 1897 classic. I tried to capture the enigmatic quality of the Count in the first third of the novel in this story. Let us just say that it is “useful” for readers to think he is a vampire.

Doctor Chantrelle. The so-called renowned chemist who stays in the Patron’s castle. He is also a suspect in the second book’s Tailor investigation. His name is actually a reference to a notorious friend of Robert Louis Stevenson who inspired one of his most famous works. Well done if you caught that one.

Midnight. This one is a little more obvious. My deadly monster hunter is a reference to Professor Abraham Van Helsing (again from Dracula). I knew that I needed someone to stand against the monsters in this series, as such she started out as just that in early drafts. Once I figured out what the series was actually about and where things were headed, she became a lot more. Her being an allusion to Van Helsing is less of a misdirection in this regard, but a short-cut to familiarity – yes, she is what you expect on the surface, but more hides behind her strange eyes.

Dorothea. I had the pleasure to read Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, during the early stages of writing the first Balar book. I found the sense of atmosphere and foreboding quite thrilling, despite having some reservations about the ending. Dorothea plays lady’s companion to Lady Petrova – a clear allusion to the unnamed protagonist and Mrs Van Hopper. The latter has a most antagonistic relationship with the former, providing the catalyst for the action in the novel. I felt that Mrs Van Hopper’s “meanness” had untapped potential. Here, I used Petrova and Dorothea’s strained relationship to push her into an ill-advised direction. Furthermore, those that have read Doom will no doubt realize there is something strange happening with Lady Petrova.

The Tailor. A serial killer that creates monstrous displays of cobbled-together-bodies. While the first story in Doom is my attempt to write a detective story (I adore the likes of Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes), the murderer has his roots in a masterpiece. I have stated elsewhere that I like the idea of Mary Shelly’s titular character from her singular masterpiece as a serial killer. Not someone who tries to advance medicine, but someone who tries to further a sinister and selfish agenda.

The Governess. This might be one of my more obvious allusions, but the whole situation should remind you of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. This is a story that has had an influence on me and one that I like to complain about. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I found the portrayal of the women and children in the book to be slightly inauthentic (might just be me). The stories about the Saint house (while being an allusion to Bly) is my lame attempt at seeing if I could do better. This house (as you will discover) is integral to the overarching plot of the series.

More To Find

There are smaller references here and there. For example, the Serpent and Goose Inn, the white snake, and the mention of “lentils and peas” in Doom (among others) are allusions to very specific Grimm Fairy Tales. While these are less important (plot- and metaphor-wise), they are still meant to evoke dark things or give tiny hints to a greater truth.

Could you spot any more?

Not Just References

While the stories might have started off as a homage to what came before, the series intends to go into an interesting direction. I am trying to do something interesting with vampires, for example – we will have to see if it pays off. I hope that, by the end of Doom, you will see that this story is something fresh.

All I ask is that you trust me. There are answers to all of the questions, solutions to all of the mysteries. There is nothing I hate more than an anticlimax. I believe that I can deliver.

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