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A review by chloekg
From Hell by Alan Moore
5.0
"Fiction becomes evidence.
Evidence becomes fiction."
-From Hell, Appendix II
I would call it a groundbreaking masterwork in graphic novels, but I'm 25 years late to the scene and so will instead call it a groundbreaking masterwork in Magickal practice. A central tenet of Alan Moore's philosophy is that the boundary between the "real" and the imagined is much more permeable than is traditionally given credit. There is secular theory found in dialectical materialism, that ideas and the material world inform each other, and this interplay is the "progress" of history. What distinguishes Alan Moore's philosophy from a secular one is that the Neoplatonic world of "ideas" has its own autonomy and energetic rules. Rather than a static construction where humans expand Ideaspace 'brick-by-brick,' a sort of positivist foundation of knowledge, it's more of exploration and discovery through chaotic mindscapes with subtle and responsive sentiences.
What makes From Hell a Magickal practice is a kind of funny inverse between science-fiction and historical fiction. Science fiction sees today and constructs an imagined world of the future. Historical fiction constructs an imagined world of the past and tries to see each day. Although the man is dead, the character of William Gull has an existence that is formed by historical knowledge and animated by imagination. By pouring his efforts into recreating Victorian London and "summoning" the character of Dr. Gull, Moore bridges that permeable space between the real and the imagined. The past has lost its "corporeal realness," but very "real" discoveries may still be made by exploring the reconstructed Ideaspace.
To quote from Appendix I on Chapter Seven, "A torn envelope":
Jack of the Ripper lives in our imagination because of a frenzied extrapolation of mundane and tragic facts. As depicted in the novel, the initial birth of this "creature" was itself a Magick act (as is any act of creation). The subsequent fictions and mass hysteria added to the mythos, ultimately yielding a monstrosity far more lurid and romantic than any historical human could hope to achieve. This Magickal "coagulation" yields a form of immortality for however long people are willing to invest energy in remembering and retelling the tale.
In order to create From Hell, Alan Moore imposed a kind of reverse process. By a combination of thorough research and skeptical/imaginative probing, he resolves the mass of frenzied hysteria back to a mundane and tragic humanity (albeit expressed lovingly and compelling in partnership with Eddie Campbell's creative practice).
As a student of American misdeeds in the late 20th century, I found myself delighted by this process. The non-fiction Appendix I documents Moore's sources and decision-making, itself a literary achievement and innovation on the form. The "truth" of Jack the Ripper is likely lost amid the "murky Victorian fog" and one-hundred years of sensational retelling. It is a comfort and an inspiration that one may still gather what fictional and corporeal facts remain and discern what one can of what "really" happened.
In parallel to the gruesome crimes of Jack the Ripper, the "truth" of American history has been both obscured and sensationalized, occasionally reborn by subsequently-murdered journalists or half-fictions like, The Irishman and FX's new series on the CIA and cocaine, Snowfall. While it is unlikely that future researchers will reconstruct the devastating "reality" of American history, Moore's work gives me hope that emotionally compelling narratives with a spark of truth can promote more thoughtful reflection on history and morality. Sounds like a fun and anxiety-inducing project and would make a nice comic book [see Alan Moore's Brought to Light].
As a work of fiction, From Hell refrains from emotionalizing the characters much more than history gives evidence for. There are very few records of how the historical figures felt or what motivated them. In that sense, it's not my favorite Alan Moore story akin to the charismatic relationships and emotionally compelling fiction of Watchmen or Swamp Thing. What it offers is an historical and intellectual richness unmatched by any literary work I am familiar with, never mind what's found in most graphic novels. It's magical experience and has changed my life forever.
Evidence becomes fiction."
-From Hell, Appendix II
I would call it a groundbreaking masterwork in graphic novels, but I'm 25 years late to the scene and so will instead call it a groundbreaking masterwork in Magickal practice. A central tenet of Alan Moore's philosophy is that the boundary between the "real" and the imagined is much more permeable than is traditionally given credit. There is secular theory found in dialectical materialism, that ideas and the material world inform each other, and this interplay is the "progress" of history. What distinguishes Alan Moore's philosophy from a secular one is that the Neoplatonic world of "ideas" has its own autonomy and energetic rules. Rather than a static construction where humans expand Ideaspace 'brick-by-brick,' a sort of positivist foundation of knowledge, it's more of exploration and discovery through chaotic mindscapes with subtle and responsive sentiences.
What makes From Hell a Magickal practice is a kind of funny inverse between science-fiction and historical fiction. Science fiction sees today and constructs an imagined world of the future. Historical fiction constructs an imagined world of the past and tries to see each day. Although the man is dead, the character of William Gull has an existence that is formed by historical knowledge and animated by imagination. By pouring his efforts into recreating Victorian London and "summoning" the character of Dr. Gull, Moore bridges that permeable space between the real and the imagined. The past has lost its "corporeal realness," but very "real" discoveries may still be made by exploring the reconstructed Ideaspace.
To quote from Appendix I on Chapter Seven, "A torn envelope":
"I chose to construct this title's chapter around this piece of trivia because it struck me that the entire literature of the Whitechapel murders has been based upon similar scraps and fragments; a new black bonnet; a chalk scrawl; a ginny kidney. In a real sense, these insignificant pieces of debris make up the corporeal mass of the largely mythic being that we call Jack the Ripper, and are deserving of comment."
Jack of the Ripper lives in our imagination because of a frenzied extrapolation of mundane and tragic facts. As depicted in the novel, the initial birth of this "creature" was itself a Magick act (as is any act of creation). The subsequent fictions and mass hysteria added to the mythos, ultimately yielding a monstrosity far more lurid and romantic than any historical human could hope to achieve. This Magickal "coagulation" yields a form of immortality for however long people are willing to invest energy in remembering and retelling the tale.
In order to create From Hell, Alan Moore imposed a kind of reverse process. By a combination of thorough research and skeptical/imaginative probing, he resolves the mass of frenzied hysteria back to a mundane and tragic humanity (albeit expressed lovingly and compelling in partnership with Eddie Campbell's creative practice).
As a student of American misdeeds in the late 20th century, I found myself delighted by this process. The non-fiction Appendix I documents Moore's sources and decision-making, itself a literary achievement and innovation on the form. The "truth" of Jack the Ripper is likely lost amid the "murky Victorian fog" and one-hundred years of sensational retelling. It is a comfort and an inspiration that one may still gather what fictional and corporeal facts remain and discern what one can of what "really" happened.
In parallel to the gruesome crimes of Jack the Ripper, the "truth" of American history has been both obscured and sensationalized, occasionally reborn by subsequently-murdered journalists or half-fictions like, The Irishman and FX's new series on the CIA and cocaine, Snowfall. While it is unlikely that future researchers will reconstruct the devastating "reality" of American history, Moore's work gives me hope that emotionally compelling narratives with a spark of truth can promote more thoughtful reflection on history and morality. Sounds like a fun and anxiety-inducing project and would make a nice comic book [see Alan Moore's Brought to Light].
As a work of fiction, From Hell refrains from emotionalizing the characters much more than history gives evidence for. There are very few records of how the historical figures felt or what motivated them. In that sense, it's not my favorite Alan Moore story akin to the charismatic relationships and emotionally compelling fiction of Watchmen or Swamp Thing. What it offers is an historical and intellectual richness unmatched by any literary work I am familiar with, never mind what's found in most graphic novels. It's magical experience and has changed my life forever.