Union University’s Library at the Logos is back with our second presentation of March Book Madness! On Fridays in February, you will be introduced to the books competing in March Book Madness in 2023. A difference this year is that each book has also been made into a movie. We hope that this will help you with the selection process. Each week will feature our titles from two different genres. By the end, you will have been introduced to 8 genres and 16 books. Then, during the month of March, stay tuned to our social media channels to vote on your favorites. Our 2022 Champion was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Will a familiar favorite win again or will a new contender reach the top of the shelf? You, our readers, will determine the winner. We hope that you journey with us as we make our way through the Final Four and crown our second March Book (& Movie) Madness Champion!
Amber: Hey everyone! Thank you for joining us in Week 2 of March Book (& Movie) Madness: 2023 edition. I’m Amber Wessies, and I’ll be highlighting our genres for the week along with Micah Rhodes. Rachel and Darius told you about our first two genres, Historical Fiction and Civil Rights, last week. And this week, we bring two totally different genres. Micah, can you tell us what they are?
Micah: Thanks, Amber! This week, we’ll be covering the brackets for Science Fiction and Gothic Horror, two of my personal favorites. While they are both speculative genres, Science Fiction often extrapolates real-world research and technology to propose futuristic scenarios, while Gothic Horror leans into haunting, supernatural themes that often look to bring dark elements of the past into the present. I really like the juxtaposition of these two genres, and they can actually overlap in fascinating ways, as we’ll see.
Amber: Science Fiction and Gothic Horror can definitely keep you on the edge of your seat or maybe just keep you up at night. Why don’t you tell us about the contenders in our Science Fiction Genre?
Micah: Our first competitor is a cornerstone of far-future sci-fi literature. Written by Frank Herbert in 1965, Dune has proven to be influential in the decades since, most notably providing many inspirations to George Lucas’ Star Wars. Full of political scheming, novel technologies, religious quandaries, and quasi-magical power, Dune has always been upheld as foundational to modern sci-fi by avid readers. It’s seen a recent resurgence in the awareness of the general public with Denis Villeneuve’s new movie adaptation in 2021, which was a masterpiece in cinematography. I’m eagerly awaiting the release of Part 2 later this year.
Amber: Wow, I think I need to check it out. Now, which book will Dune battle against?
Micah: Dune’s rival is another juggernaut in both written and visual sci-fi media. Most of our audience will be familiar with the Jurassic Park movie franchise, but some may be surprised to learn that it too spawned from a literary source. Michael Crichton wrote two excellent novels, Jurassic Park and The Lost World, that established the setting for the films. In fact, the success of the first film pressured Crichton into writing the sequel, something he did not ordinarily do with his novels. The plot for both film and book can be summarized by this witty exchange between characters Dr. Ian Malcolm and Dr. Ellie Satler:
Malcolm: “God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs. God creates Man, man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs.”
Satler: “Dinosaurs eat man . . . Woman inherits the earth.”
Amber: Too funny, Jurassic Park is a great sci-fi choice. Which do you think will advance to the Elite 8 round?
Micah: This is a tough call. Dune brings a dedicated following from the literature crowd, and its new movie is gorgeous and dramatic if a little hard to follow for viewers who haven’t read the book (especially the ending). However, though the Jurassic Park books have less of a cult following, the movies have become such titans of popular culture that I think dinosaurs will win over spaceships this year.
Micah: Let’s move on to your category, Amber. What can you tell us about your contenders?
Amber: Well, Gothic Horror isn’t usually my go-to genre, but I think we are all familiar with Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein. There have been many movie adaptations of Frankenstein and the Union Library has three versions that you can check out. Although we all like to think the monster in the book was the man created using cadavers, that may not be the case. Dr. Frankenstein who created the monster might be more of a monster than we thought. I wonder what our voters will think? Frankenstein is one of the novels that embodied gothic fiction with its suspense, fear, and haunting from the past. Shelley’s work represents the gothic horror of the early 19th century.
Micah: It’s certainly a classic, and deeply embedded in the history of the genre. This is what I love about holding Science Fiction and Gothic Horror up for side-by-side examination: we can see how they overlap! There are elements of sci-fi in Frankenstein, as the doctor is using pseudo-scientific techniques to bring about the creation of his creature. Likewise, Jurassic Park has some similarities with gothic horror and especially Frankenstein, as scientists work to bring monsters to life which then wreak havoc on humans, leaving open the question of who is more monstrous: the creator or the created? Anyway, what’s the second contestant?
Amber: Our second book and movie duo comes from the 20th-century gothic horror period and another female author, Daphne du Maurier. Du Maurier’s book, Rebecca, has become the basis for several movie adaptations including a newer Netflix film and the Alfred Hitchcock version by the same name. Surprisingly disturbing and sad, Rebecca, tells the story of a poor girl who marries a rich widowed man with a haunting past. Although this gothic novel may be less familiar to many, Rebecca, still brings those chilling gothic elements from mystery, to love, and murder that makes these novels hard to put down. Can the new Mrs. de Winter and her husband move past the death of Rebecca?
Micah: Hmm, intriguing. I’ll have to give Rebecca a read or a watch, or both! Which book-movie do you think will triumph?
Amber: I think Frankenstein may win out since so many people read it in high school. But I wouldn’t count out Rebecca with its new movie.
Micah: Well, we’ll see if either of our predictions are correct in just a few weeks. Remember, readers, YOU will be the ones determining this year’s winners of March Book (& Movie) Madness! Want to represent your favorite page-to-screen adaptations? Vote for your favorites on Instagram next month, then see which advances. We’ll be back with our next competitor introductions after these messages…
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