The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates ~ Week Two Discussion Thread + Community Rules & Spoiler Guidelines

 

If Part One of Joyce Carol Oates’ sprawling 2013 postmodern Gothic masterpiece The Accursed sets the stage with the terrifying, surreal abduction of young Annabel Slade from her own wedding altar, Part Two: "The Curse Incarnate" escalates the nightmare.

Oates doesn't just treat "the curse" as a series of spooky, isolated ghost encounters. In Part Two, she uses supernatural horror to expose the rot underneath Gilded Age American respectability. The line between literal demonology and the toxic social realities of the era—racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and extreme class inequality—begins to blur entirely.

1. Key Thematic Developments in Part Two

The Bog Kingdom as a Dark Mirror

In Part Two, we get deeper glimpses into the subterranean realm where the mysterious demon-bridegroom "Count Ax Mate" / "Mr. Mayte" has taken Annabel Slade. The Bog Kingdom isn't just a fantasy dungeon; it operates as an grotesque caricature of Gilded Age capitalism. It is a feudal hierarchy where the ruling elite feed on worn-out servants and the discarded lower classes. Annabel’s descent mimics the psychological enslavement of women who were traded off into polite Gilded Age marriages—where autonomy is surrendered for illusory comfort.

The Hypocrisy of "Good, Christian" Princeton

One of Oates’ sharpest moves in Part Two is contrasting literal monsters with historical elites. Historical figures like Woodrow Wilson (then President of Princeton University) navigate campus infighting and social obligations while turning a deliberate, cowardly blind eye to real-world horrors like lynchings and racial violence. Oates poses a unsettling question: Who is truly accursed—the demonic shapeshifters, or the respectable white patriarchy that passively permits atrocities?

Mass Hysteria & Psychological Contagion

Part Two highlights how the curse manifests as a psychological infection across Princeton. Husbands grow wildly paranoid, suspecting their wives of illicit affairs with incubi, while girls at nearby seminaries experience bizarre group hallucinations involving swarms of snakes. The polite facade of 1905 New Jersey is unraveling from the inside out.

2. Character Tracker: Part Two Status & Arcs

Because The Accursed blends a massive cast of fictional families with famous real-world figures, keeping track of everyone can get overwhelming. Here is a snapshot of where key players stand during Part Two:

Character	Real or Fictional?	Role / Status in Part Two	Key Plot Points & Arc
Woodrow Wilson	Historical	President of Princeton University	Stressed by administrative battles and personal neuroses. Confronted over racial violence and lynchings, he stubbornly equivocates to maintain his social standing.
Annabel Slade	Fictional	The Missing Bride	Imprisoned in the sinister Bog Kingdom by Count Ax Mate. Trapped in a feverish, hypnotized state, coming face-to-face with the monstrous nature of her captor's world.
Count Ax Mate / Mr. Mayte	Fictional	The "Demon Bridegroom"	Operates as a charismatic, aristocratic vampire/demon figure. Tailors his seductions to prey specifically on the hidden hypocrisies and repressed desires of Princeton society.
Josiah Slade	Fictional	Annabel’s Brother	Obsessively pursues leads to find his sister, venturing into dark, taboo places while grappling with his family's curse and moral complicity.
Upton Sinclair	Historical	Socialist Crusader & Author	Living near Princeton after publishing The Jungle. Functions as a radical voice challenging the town's elite, highlighting class warfare and industrial exploitation.
Jack London	Historical	Radical Author & Socialist	Introduced as an explosive, unapologetic contrast to Princeton’s genteel academics. His presence highlights the tension between raw, elemental forces/class struggle and polite society's ivory tower.
Todd Slade	Fictional	Cousin to Annabel	Marked by uncanny, disturbing encounters; seen by family members as inherently "accursed" or connected to the dark forces visiting the town.
M.W. van Dyke II	Fictional	The Unreliable Narrator	An elderly Princeton historian attempting to reconstruct the 1905 "Curse" years later. His bias and desperate need to preserve Princeton's reputation constantly leak through his writing.

3. Takeaway Thoughts for Reading Groups

If you're reading The Accursed for a book club or class discussion, Part Two is where the novel's core thesis really takes shape:

1. The True Nature of the Monster: Is Count Ax Mate an external supernatural evil, or is he simply the manifested guilt and darkness of the town's founding families?

2. The Unreliable Narrator: How does M.W. van Dyke II's aristocratic bias shape how the story is told? Notice where he attempts to excuse figures like Woodrow Wilson or downplay systemic racism.

3. Pastiche and Style: Pay attention to how Oates parodies early 20th-century Gothic literature (think Bram Stoker or Edgar Allan Poe) while injecting modern, biting critiques of power and privilege.

Drop Your Thoughts Below!

Feel free to answer any of the questions above, share your favorite line or footnote from Part One, or link your preliminary blog post/review draft in the comments!

Community Rules & Spoiler Guidelines

To keep our discussion engaging, respectful, and easy to navigate across different reading paces, please follow these group guidelines:

• Respect Diverse Perspectives: Book bloggers bring varied analytical styles and opinions. Critique the text, arguments, and narrative choices vigorously, but keep all interactions courteous and constructive.
• Use Spoiler Tags Outside Weekly Threads: Keep all plot discussions strictly within the designated week’s thread or channel. If you reference events beyond the current week's reading target in general chat, use spoiler tags (e.g., ||spoiler text|| or standard forum markup) and clearly label the page/chapter range.
• Tag Review Drafts & Posts: Feel free to share links to your blog posts, review drafts, or social media coverage! When posting links, mark whether the content contains spoilers so members reading at a slower pace can browse safely.
• Pacing & Asynchronous Courtesy: We encourage deep, long-form responses. If you reply to a post from earlier in the week, quote or tag the specific section so members can follow the conversation thread easily.
• Self-Promotion & Crossposting: Use the designated #Blog-Share thread to post your final reviews, group roundups, and cross-promotions. Keep main discussion threads focused on live text analysis.

UPDATE: Marianne, from Let's Read, has posted her Week Two thoughts regarding Part Two of The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates. Please click on the link provided to read and comment on Marianne's post. Marianne has once again provided food for thought in her post.

Additionally, I did have help from Google Gemini in flushing out the analysis for part two and organizing the character tracker for part two.

Happy American Archives Month!!!

After writing and publishing a post about the Sacramento Archives Crawl and learning that October is National Archives Month, I found myself wanting to learn more about National Archives Month. I learned that National Archives Month began in 2006! 

Below is additional information about National Archives Month I discovered through the use of Google Gemini.

American Archives Month (often referred to as National Archives Month) takes place every October in the United States. Spearheaded nationally by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) alongside institutions like the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Council of State Archivists (CoSA), it celebrates the importance of preserving historical records and highlights the vital work archivists do to make history accessible.

Core Purpose & Goals

• Public Education: Demystify what archives are and raise awareness about why preserving paper documents, audio/video recordings, and digital media matters for history, culture, and accountability.

• Promoting Accessibility: Show the public how to access local, state, and national history—whether for genealogical research, historical inquiry, or civic engagement.

• Highlighting Professionals: Showcase the archivists, conservators, and record managers behind the scenes who catalog, clean, digitize, and safeguard primary sources.

Key Signature Events During the Month

• #AskAnArchivist Day: A nationwide social media event where archivists from universities, museums, government repositories, and presidential libraries answer questions directly from the public on platforms like X (Twitter), Instagram, and Threads.

• Electronic Records Day (#ERecsDay): Coordinated by the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) to educate the public and government agencies on managing long-term digital preservation, backups, and digital file integrity.

• Behind-the-Scenes Tours & Open Houses: State archives, presidential libraries, municipal repositories, and local historical societies host open houses, virtual tours, and document transcription parties.

How Organizations & Communities Participate

1. Unlocking Hidden Collections: Institutions share "mystery photos" or highlight standout primary sources (letters, old maps, rare artifacts) across social channels using #ArchivesMonth.

2. Community Archives & Family History: Libraries and archives host workshops teaching individuals how to properly store and preserve family heirlooms, photographs, and personal digital files.

3. State & Local Proclamations: Governors and local officials issue official proclamations declaring October as Archives Month to support public funding and awareness for preservation.

Will you be participating in an archive crawl?

Whoa, author, Sally Rooney, says she can no longer sell books in UK!!

 

I came across an article posted on The Guardian titled, 'Sally Rooney says she can no longer sell books in UK due to Palestine Action support' by Haroon Siddique and George Francis Lee. In the above mentioned article, the authors wrote the following:

Sally Rooney has said she is being forced to withdraw her books from sale in the UK because of her support for the banned organisation Palestine Action.

The Irish novelist, whose books include Normal People and Conversations With Friends, said her public support for the direct action group meant she could no longer receive royalties from UK sales.

After Palestine Action was banned last year, Rooney said she would use proceeds from her sales to support Palestine Action. Supporting organisations banned under the Terrorism Act is an offence and she subsequently cancelled a trip to the UK to pick up an award, for fear of arrest.

In a statement provided to the Guardian, the bestselling author said: “‘In July 2025, the direct-action protest group Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. The following month, I wrote an opinion piece expressing my intention to go on supporting Palestine Action, which is not a proscribed or otherwise prohibited group here in the Republic of Ireland.

Click on the above link to read the full article. 

Sacramento Archives Crawl 2017 - The Crawl Is For All

 Once again, Sacramento is hosting its annual Archives Crawl during National Archives Month. I discovered the following information about this event on the Sacramento Archives Crawl website:

The Crawl is for All

Every October, in celebration of National Archives Month, archives and special collections libraries from throughout the Sacramento region open their doors to the public and showcase their rarely seen holdings during the Sacramento Archives Crawl.

The Crawl is held at four host institution sites in downtown Sacramento: the California State Archives, California State Library, Center for Sacramento History, and Sacramento Room at the Sacramento Public Library. Free bus transportation is provided between all four locations.

Date: October 17, 2026

Schedule: 10 am - 4 pm

Cost: Free

I'd love to attend the Sacramento Archives Crawl this weekend, but I am unable to attend due to other obligations. Maybe next year? Keeping fingers crossed.

Happy Filipino American History Month!!

 

Filipino American History Month occurs during the entire month of October. I am married to a Filipino-American and have enjoyed learning more about the Filipino-American and Filipino experience over the years.

I am focusing this post on books I've read by Filipino-Americans and Filipinos. I'm also including books I want to read in the future by Filipino-Americans. and Filipinos.

Here's a list of books I would like to read in the future:

1. The Farm by Joanne Ramos
2. Patron Saints of Nothing Randy Ribay
3. The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony by Annabelle Tometich
4. The Mythology Class: Where Philippine Legends Become Reality by Arnold Arre
5. Halina Filipina: A New Yorker in Manila by Aronold Arre

6. How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future by Maria Ressa

7. Bibliolepsy by Gina Apostol

8. The Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven

9. America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo

10. 'Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mysteries Series' by Mia P. Manansala

Here's a list of books I have already read:

1. Toxicology by Jessica Hagedorn

2. Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn

3. Dream Jungle by Jessica Hagedorn

4. The Gangster of Love by Jessica Hagedorn

5. The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco

6. Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes

7. Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan

Do you read books written by Filipino-American or Filipino writers? Do you have any recommendations? 

The Legend of Korra: Kya and the Secret of the Sand by Kiku Hughes

 

I read the ebook edition of The Legend of Korra: Kya and the Secret of the Sand by Kiku Hughes. This is a children's comic book roughly 82 pages in length.

I enjoyed reading The Legend of Korra: Kya and the Secret of the Sand. It has both a nice storyline with good character development. The storyline kind of reminds me a lot of 'Avatar: of The Last Airbender'. Also, the artwork for The Legend of Korra: Kya and the Secret of the Sand is quite delightful!

Below is the publisher's summary for The Legend of Korra: Kya and the Secret of the Sand by Kiku Hughes from Amazon's website:

Join Aang and Katara’s daughter, Kya, in The Legend of Korra: Kya and the Secret of the Sand, as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and uncovers secrets at the edges of the Earth Kingdom.

While helping Korra recover in the Southern Water Tribe, Kya shares a story from her youth of a time when she was lost and disconnected from herself, far from home in the Si Wong Desert…

Young and untested, Kya leaves her family to seek her purpose in the wider world. Hoping to test herself and help struggling communities, she heads to the Si Wong Desert, where scarce resources and fractured communities are making the fringes of the Earth Kingdom increasingly unstable. Kya, arriving in the community of Liyuan to teach healing and help the struggling community defend itself from bandits, finds that the wounds left from decades of conflict run deep, and may be harder to heal than she first thought.

Written by Eisner-nominated graphic novelist Kiku Hughes (Displacement) with artist Alexandria Monik (The Legend of Korra: Patterns in Time, Legend of Korra: Mystery of Penquan Isand) in collaboration with Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko!

I am giving The Legend of Korra: Kya and the Secret of the Sand by Kiku Hughes a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates ~ Week One Discussion Thread + Community Rules & Spoiler Guidelines

Week 1 Discussion: Author’s Note, Prologue, & Part One ("The Blood-Wedding")

Welcome to Week One of our read-along! We are diving headfirst into Joyce Carol Oates’ haunting 1905 Princeton, New Jersey.

Because Part One introduces an enormous ensemble of historical figures, aristocratic families, and townspeople, use the character tracker below to keep everyone straight as you read and draft your review notes!

Part One Character Tracker

1. The Narrator & Framing Device

• M.W. van Dyck II: The pompous, ultra-conservative, and highly biased amateur historian writing this account decades after the events of 1905–1906.

2. The Primary Families & Households

• The Slade Family (Crosswicks / Princeton Elite)
  • Reverand Winslow Slade: Esteemed former clergyman, former Princeton Seminary president, and community patriarch.
  • Annabel Slade: Winslow’s 18-year-old grand-daughter; the bride whose abduction at the altar sets off the primary horror arc.
  • Josiah Slade: Annabel’s older brother.
• The Burr Family
• Horace Burr: Adelaide Burr's husband.
• Adelaide Burr: A bedridden wife who suffers a horrific, curse-induced fate.
• Wilhelmina "Mina" Burr: She is an artistic, independent "bluestocking" and a best friend to Annabel Slade.
• Lt. Dabney Bayard: The gallant young groom left abandoned at the altar when Annabel vanishes.

3. Real Historical Figures

• Woodrow Wilson: President of Princeton University; depicted as obsessive, self-righteous, plagued by terrible indigestion, and locked in political battles.
• Ellen Axson Wilson: Woodrow Wilson’s devoted wife.
• Grover Cleveland: Former U.S. President residing in retired comfort in Princeton.
• Frances Folsom Cleveland: Grover Cleveland’s glamorous, younger wife.
• Upton Sinclair: The fiery, idealistic muckraking author living nearby in a primitive cabin with his wife, Meta, and their child outside Princeton while writing a novel; his radical socialist views and raw exposé of American industry stand in sharp, uncomfortable contrast to the town's aristocratic elite.

4. Other Characters of Note

• Axson Mayte: An enigmatic, shape-shifting demonic entity who serves as the "demon bridegroom". He assumes various deceptive guises throughout the novel to manipulate the townspeople.
• Yaeger Ruggles: A young seminary student with African American lineage, he serves as a pivotal character who visits Woodrow Wilson. Ruggles begs Wilson to use his massive cultural influence to denounce the lynching and the KKK. Instead of helping, Wilson panics, attempts to stall him, and recoils when he realizes his distant cousin has "Black blood".

Week 1 Discussion Questions

1. The Author's Note & Prologue (Framing the Narrative)

• How does the Author’s Note set up the metafictional nature of the book? How does knowing right away that M.W. van Dyck II is compiling "historical records" color how you interpret his tone and obsession with status?
• In the Prologue, Oates introduces the idea of a "Curse" hanging over Princeton. Do you think M. W. van Dyck II is documenting a literal supernatural force, or is he inadvertently describing an outbreak of collective hysteria and moral decay?

2. Part One: "The Blood-Wedding" & Elite Society

• Social Hypocrisy: Part One paints a vivid picture of 1905 Princeton's high society. How does the community's immediate reaction to the horrific lynching near town contrast with their hyper-fixation on social decorum and wedding prep?
• Woodrow Wilson's Portrayal: How does Oates handle the portrayal of Woodrow Wilson in these opening chapters? What specific personality traits or physical ailments stand out, and how do they reflect the larger themes of power and repression?
• Upton Sinclair's Portrayal: Upton Sinclair appears as an idealistic, young socialist. How does his radical worldview contrast with the conservative, aristocratic atmosphere of Princeton?
• The Abduction: Axson Mayte's arrival disrupts the entire social order. What were your initial impressions of Axson Mayte's interaction with Annabel prior to the wedding scene? What are your views of Axson Mayte after the abduction? What subtle Gothic or vampiric tropes did you spot around his character?

Drop Your Thoughts Below!

Feel free to answer any of the questions above, share your favorite line or footnote from Part One, or link your preliminary blog post/review draft in the comments!

Community Rules & Spoiler Guidelines

To keep our discussion engaging, respectful, and easy to navigate across different reading paces, please follow these group guidelines:

• Respect Diverse Perspectives: Book bloggers bring varied analytical styles and opinions. Critique the text, arguments, and narrative choices vigorously, but keep all interactions courteous and constructive.
• Use Spoiler Tags Outside Weekly Threads: Keep all plot discussions strictly within the designated week’s thread or channel. If you reference events beyond the current week's reading target in general chat, use spoiler tags (e.g., ||spoiler text|| or standard forum markup) and clearly label the page/chapter range.
• Tag Review Drafts & Posts: Feel free to share links to your blog posts, review drafts, or social media coverage! When posting links, mark whether the content contains spoilers so members reading at a slower pace can browse safely.
• Pacing & Asynchronous Courtesy: We encourage deep, long-form responses. If you reply to a post from earlier in the week, quote or tag the specific section so members can follow the conversation thread easily.
• Self-Promotion & Crossposting: Use the designated #Blog-Share thread to post your final reviews, group roundups, and cross-promotions. Keep main discussion threads focused on live text analysis.

UPDATE: Marianne, from Let's Read, has posted her Week One thoughts regarding Part One of The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates. Please click on the link provided to read and comment on Marianne's post.

British Author, Jeffrey Archer, Passed Away

 

I'm a bit late to the party with this very sad news! I learned this morning that Jeffrey Archer passed away on Monday.

The BBC published an article titled, 'Author and former politician Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86' by Henry More and Emma Saunders that highlights Jeffrey Archer's life and career as both a politician and novelist. The following is a quote from the aforementioned BBC article:

Bestselling author and former politician Jeffrey Archer has died at the age of 86.

Archer sold more than 300 million books in his five-decade writing career, including the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel, and often set the novels in his home town of Wellington, Somerset.

In a statement, Archer's publisher HarperCollins said the author died "suddenly and peacefully at home" on Monday between writing sessions.

I've read and reviewed four novels by Jeffrey Archer, Only Time Will Tell, Paths of Glory, Kane & Abel, and The Prodigal Daughter. Each novel was an enjoyable read. Click on the above links to read my review of each novel by Jeffrey Archer.