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Creepy Atmospheres and Weird Narration in The OA
- Studies in the Fantastic
- University of Tampa Press
- Number 6, Winter 2018/Spring 2019
- pp. 95-115
- 10.1353/sif.2018.0004
- Article
- Additional Information
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Abstract:
This essay analyzes the production of a creepy atmosphere in The OA in order to broaden the conception of new weird fiction in any medium. Atmosphere is defined as a diffused form of affect that is difficult to pinpoint, yet remains foundational to the way weird fiction developed since Poe and Lovecraft. The OA's slow narration produces a languid creepiness that postpones narrative closure towards an unresolved future. This creeping narration also leads to an issue of narrative reliability and a status of diegetic reality, a major thematic issue in The OA. Finally, this essay shows how the creeping narration slowly shifts between different points of view that invite the nonhuman inside.