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Event Website
https://www.mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2023.htm
Start Date
8-5-2023 3:00 PM
End Date
8-5-2023 3:50 PM
Description
Black holes are frequently described as the scariest objects in the universe, even by the normally staid scientists who study them. Like the warning on the gate of Hell in Dante’s Inferno, any (hu)man or matter that dares to cross the event horizon abandons all hope before literally being ripped to shreds by the object’s extreme tidal forces. As the heart of the beast is approached, the laws of physics break down, time loses its simple everyday meaning, and mathematical madness reigns supreme. It is no wonder that Hollywood has repeatedly adopted the black hole as more than merely a metaphor for Hell, but a fantasy gateway leading directly into it (with all the metaphysical and mythopoeic aspects one would expect). This presentation will concentrate on three such works, the “Impossible Planet/The Satan’s Pit” arc of Doctor Who (2006), the much-maligned Disney film The Black Hole (1979) and the cult-classic film Event Horizon (1997). While these works are usually considered sci-fi rather than classic fantasy, their use of black holes as fantastical gateways to Hell emphasizes their supernatural rather than scientific aspects.
Included in
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, Literature in English, Anglophone outside British Isles and North America Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Modern Languages Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other English Language and Literature Commons
“Hell is only a word. The reality is much, much worse”: Black Holes as Fantasy Gateways to Hell
Black holes are frequently described as the scariest objects in the universe, even by the normally staid scientists who study them. Like the warning on the gate of Hell in Dante’s Inferno, any (hu)man or matter that dares to cross the event horizon abandons all hope before literally being ripped to shreds by the object’s extreme tidal forces. As the heart of the beast is approached, the laws of physics break down, time loses its simple everyday meaning, and mathematical madness reigns supreme. It is no wonder that Hollywood has repeatedly adopted the black hole as more than merely a metaphor for Hell, but a fantasy gateway leading directly into it (with all the metaphysical and mythopoeic aspects one would expect). This presentation will concentrate on three such works, the “Impossible Planet/The Satan’s Pit” arc of Doctor Who (2006), the much-maligned Disney film The Black Hole (1979) and the cult-classic film Event Horizon (1997). While these works are usually considered sci-fi rather than classic fantasy, their use of black holes as fantastical gateways to Hell emphasizes their supernatural rather than scientific aspects.
Comments
SESSION IV
3:00 PM—3:50 Eastern
2:00 PM—2:50 Central
1:00 PM—1:50 Mountain
12:00 Noon—12:50 PM Pacific
7:00 PM—7:50 GMT