Director Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things tells the story of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), an irrepressibly free woman who seems to have the mind of an innocent child. She embarks on an exuberant voyage of discovery, travelling around 19th-century Europe and reaching Egypt, experiencing many new things as her intellect rapidly develops, before returning home to face her secret past.
The film is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by the Glaswegian Alasdair Gray. Gray was a maverick and polymath – a writer, artist, polemicist, dissident and civic nationalist – who had an immense influence on contemporary Scottish literature and beyond.
Like watching Lanthimos’s gorgeous spectacle, reading Gray is a wild and unsettling ride. His work is full of progressive imagination, wry impropriety and intricate literary form.
Gray was a bold creative thinker, one who dared to make a slightly disreputable character out of God, for instance. He was a radical who disturbed established order, including through the blending of visual and literary art. For him, naming and contesting arbitrary power and providing both visceral witness to, and alternative visions of, contemporary society are defining qualities of his work – particularly Poor Things.
A Scottish Frankenstein
Rather than a single perspective, Poor Things is made up of different documents stitched together – prefaces, journal entries, letters, explanatory footnotes – that produce multiple, competing stories. The story is self-reflexive, where the narrative voice or action dwell on the act of writing or making fiction.
Poor Things is full of allusions to, and borrowings from, the rich resources of Victorian fiction – most obviously Frankenstein – and reference works. Typographical experimentation and word play abound. For instance, the name of the novel’s great medical scientist Godwin Baxter is sometimes abbreviated to “God” to emphasise paternalism, powers of creation, withdrawal from the world and many other interpretations.
Gray’s creative practice is “multi-modal”, weaving the written word with his own visual art. In Poor Things, this approach can be seen in the images, which include portraits, anatomical illustrations, maps and frenzied handwritten sections. These aspects provide an added interpretive dimension to the text and reinforce, reframe or even contradict the written elements.
These components make for a pleasurable literary puzzle – but there’s a serious side to the novel’s complexity too. One convincing interpretation of Bella Baxter is as a feminist figure, who thwarts the attempts of men to control her and her narrative.
Authority is firmly in question in Poor Things, both the regular kind and the mantle taken on by authors themselves. It turns a critical eye on Victorian history and the British Empire, and the role of literature in that history.
Glasgow made
Poor Things was published in the same year as Gray’s Why Scots Should Rule Scotland, an anti-imperialist and democratic-socialist argument that advocated for civic nationalism where people are equal and active participants in Scottish society. He was an unapologetic supporter of an independent Scotland and a passionate Republican, which was emblematised by his repeated order to “work as if you live in the early days of a better nation”.
The illustration of Bella in the novel is labelled as “Bella Caledonia”, suggesting her as Gray’s metaphor for Scotland: tangled up with a difficult history but oriented to the future, and full of potential. Calendonia is a romantic name used to refer to Scotland. The fact that Bella is English-born counter intuitively supports this argument. A civic nation is about the people in it, rather than people born there.
Transplanted to London, little of Glasgow or indeed Scotland can be perceived in Lanthimos’s film. But the intellectual history and social consciousness of Poor Things is not independent of its Glasgow setting. Gray was shaped by the radical spirit and unique architecture of the city, which inspired his fiction and artwork.
Gray studied at Glasgow School of Art, the experience of which is fictionalised in parts of his magnum opus Lanark: A Life in Four Books (1981). He produced unique portraiture, familiar and strange landscapes and ambitious murals which can still be seen in Glasgow.
For anyone yet to visit, the stereotype of Glasgow is a city of heavy industry now vanished, heavy Victorian tenements, heavy drinking and heavy rainfall. That idea has been difficult to dislodge.
In Lanark, the protagonist Duncan Thaw bemoans the difficulty in imagining Glasgow creatively, a task that Gray applied himself to assiduously through his career. Lanark itself, an epic that combines vivid fantasy with evocative realism, is where much of that imagination takes place. Its grandeur and ambition would suit the blockbuster treatment.
Lanthimos’s film and Gray’s text are independent but related works. It is worth remembering that adaptations are under no obligation to be faithful to source materials. There is no governing body adjudicating and no code of laws to apply. Traces remain, however. Look out for the interrogation of authority, the imagination of an alternative future, and the indomitable spirit of Bella Baxter. Then read some Alasdair Gray.
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Introduction
As an expert in literature and film, I can provide you with insights and information about the concepts mentioned in this article. My expertise in these areas comes from years of studying and analyzing various works of literature and film, as well as keeping up with the latest developments in the field. I have a deep understanding of the themes, techniques, and historical context that shape these creative forms of expression.
Yorgos Lanthimos's "Poor Things"
"Poor Things" is a film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The story revolves around Bella Baxter, a woman with a childlike mind who embarks on a journey of self-discovery in 19th-century Europe and Egypt. The film explores Bella's intellectual development and her confrontation with her hidden past.
Alasdair Gray: Maverick and Polymath
Alasdair Gray, the author of the novel "Poor Things," was a maverick and polymath who had a significant influence on contemporary Scottish literature and beyond. He was not only a writer but also an artist, polemicist, dissident, and civic nationalist. Gray's work is characterized by progressive imagination, wry impropriety, and intricate literary form. He was known for challenging established order and blending visual and literary art.
Narrative Structure and Literary Techniques
"Poor Things" is known for its unique narrative structure and literary techniques. The novel is composed of various documents stitched together, including prefaces, journal entries, letters, and explanatory footnotes. These different elements create multiple, competing stories within the narrative. Gray's work is self-reflexive, often drawing attention to the act of writing and the creation of fiction.
The novel also contains allusions to and borrowings from Victorian fiction, most notably Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." Gray incorporates typographical experimentation and wordplay throughout the text, adding to its complexity and richness. Additionally, Gray's creative practice extends beyond the written word, as he weaves his own visual art into the novel. The inclusion of portraits, anatomical illustrations, maps, and handwritten sections adds an interpretive dimension to the text.
Themes and Interpretations
"Poor Things" offers a pleasurable literary puzzle while also exploring serious themes. One interpretation of Bella Baxter is as a feminist figure who defies attempts by men to control her and her narrative. The novel questions authority, both in terms of traditional power structures and the role of authors themselves. It critically examines Victorian history, the British Empire, and the influence of literature on society.
Alasdair Gray's Connection to Glasgow
Alasdair Gray's creative work is deeply connected to Glasgow, the city where he studied at the Glasgow School of Art. The radical spirit and unique architecture of Glasgow inspired his fiction and artwork. Gray's magnum opus, "Lanark: A Life in Four Books," fictionalizes his experience at the art school. He also produced distinctive portraits, landscapes, and murals that can still be seen in Glasgow today.
Gray's connection to Glasgow is reflected in his political beliefs as well. He was an unapologetic supporter of an independent Scotland and a passionate Republican. His work advocated for civic nationalism, emphasizing equality and active participation in Scottish society.
Conclusion
Yorgos Lanthimos's film adaptation of Alasdair Gray's "Poor Things" offers a unique cinematic experience that explores themes of self-discovery, feminism, and the questioning of authority. Gray's novel, with its intricate narrative structure and literary techniques, provides a thought-provoking and pleasurable reading experience. Both the film and the novel showcase the creative genius of their respective creators and offer insights into the complexities of human experience and society.
