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In the Realms of the Unreal
- 179 statements
- 34 feature instances
- 6 referencing feature instances
In the Realms of the Unreal | type |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | label |
In the Realms of the Unreal | |
In the Realms of the Unreal | page |
InTheRealmsOfTheUnreal | |
In the Realms of the Unreal | comment |
A novel known primarily for its length, its illustrations note 99% benign and enchanting, 1% Nightmare Fuel, and its writing process* in tiny, tiny handwriting over decades, then neatly typed and bound into massive handmade books, Henry Darger's The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion tells the story of a fictional war between the Christian nation of Angelinia and the militantly atheist nation of Glandelinia. The Vivian Girls are the seven daughters of Robert Vivian, emperor of the Catholic kingdom Abbieannia. The girls are both leaders and inspirational, saint-like figures rallying the troops.The subject of this Documentary, which also goes into Darger's life. A second film, Revolutions of the Night, released in 2012, gives more detail about his background (more about this film and its evocation of Darger as he really was in this essay), which may help contextualize the origins of the events and themes in the narrative.This work and Darger's life story have inspired many songs (there's a band called Vivian Girls), comic book characters, mystery novels like Elizabeth Hand's Curious Toys and an RPG called War Storm.You may read selections from The Story of the Vivian Girls in the Realms of the Unreal, and the entire The Vivian Girls in Chicago, Henry's weather journal and The History of My Life the Illinois State Library website. (Takes forever to download, be patient.) Most of the manuscript of Realms of the Unreal is also on the Internet Archive. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal | fetched |
2024-02-27T23:16:31Z | |
In the Realms of the Unreal | parsed |
2024-02-27T23:16:31Z | |
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Dropped link to DoorStopper: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
In the Realms of the Unreal | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1282bf4f | type |
No Celebrities Were Harmed | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1282bf4f | comment |
No Celebrities Were Harmed: John Manley's appearance was modeled after Tsar Nicholas II, a contemporary to Henry Darger, which is an perplexing artistic choice for an atheist antagonist considering Nicholas was an Orthodox Christian monarch in opposition to communists, and extremely fond of children. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1282bf4f | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1282bf4f | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1282bf4f | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_13e1c444 | type |
Plot-Triggering Death | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_13e1c444 | comment |
Plot-Triggering Death: Annie Aronburg, aged five. The original revolt of the child slaves was her idea, and she was elected their leader. She was coming back from a secret meeting when she was murdered by her captors. She thus became their John Brown figure as well as their Joan of Arc. At the beginning of the book we are told there has been a prediction that in order for the Christian nations to win the war, the "Aronburg Mystery" must be solved and her killers brought to justice. Annie herself was modeled, rather incongruously, on little Elsie Paroubek. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_13e1c444 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_13e1c444 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1439161f | type |
Heroic BSoD | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1439161f | comment |
Heroic BSoD: Emperor Robert Vivian, ruler of Abbieannia and father of the Vivian Girls, at the beginning of the story. His youngest girls have disappeared after a violent storm, and he fears not only that they have been lost, but that the storm portends terrible calamities in the near future. (They're not: It does.) His brother Hanson does lose his wife and daughter in the storm and suffers this also. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1439161f | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1439161f | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_15d8e4f5 | type |
Slave Liberation | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_15d8e4f5 | comment |
Slave Liberation: The goal of Angelinia's war is to liberate the child slaves. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_15d8e4f5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_15d8e4f5 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_166e33f3 | type |
Little Miss Badass | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_166e33f3 | comment |
Little Miss Badass: Zillions of them. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_166e33f3 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_166e33f3 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1aa08f77 | type |
Multiple Endings | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1aa08f77 | comment |
Multiple Endings: Different parts of the novel end with either Angelinia or Glandelinia winning. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1aa08f77 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_1aa08f77 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_24cdd048 | type |
Arcadia | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_24cdd048 | comment |
Arcadia: The Vivian girls' flower-filled estate at Jennie Richee is this. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_24cdd048 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_24cdd048 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_278a8f2b | type |
ChildSoldier | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_278a8f2b | comment |
Child Soldier and Children Forced to Kill: Billions. The Realms of the Unreal is a huge world. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_278a8f2b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_278a8f2b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_278a8f2b | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_289008dc | type |
Incorruptible Pure Pureness | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_289008dc | comment |
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: The little Vivians and many of the other girl heroes in the story. Darger specifically compares them to little Eva from Uncle Tom's Cabin several times. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_289008dc | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_289008dc | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_31d408cd | type |
Christianity is Catholic | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_31d408cd | comment |
Christianity is Catholic: The majority of the Angelinians are Catholics. Darger himself was a very devout Catholic, taking Communion every day and sometimes attending Mass five or seven times a week. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_31d408cd | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_31d408cd | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_31d408cd | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_3c111ce6 | type |
Pistol-Whipping | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_3c111ce6 | comment |
Pistol-Whipping: When General Manley strikes Jennie Vivian, Violet Vivian responds by slapping him across the face with the butt of her pistol. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_3c111ce6 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_3c111ce6 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_424c9a9b | type |
Cold-Blooded Torture | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_424c9a9b | comment |
Cold-Blooded Torture: Frequently involving evisceration, crucifixion, and strangulation. The Lincoln Asylum for the Feeble-Minded where Darger was imprisoned as a teenager is probably the source for a lot of this; it was the subject of an intensive investigation and horrific discoveries not long after he and his friends escaped. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_424c9a9b | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_424c9a9b | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4e6e9b64 | type |
A Child Shall Lead Them | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4e6e9b64 | comment |
A Child Shall Lead Them: Annie Aronburg, and then the seven little Vivian Girl Princesses. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4e6e9b64 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4e6e9b64 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4eaa9b84 | type |
Author Tract | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4eaa9b84 | comment |
Author Tract: Often. Darger makes lots of asides to the reader about female superiority and children's rights, at one point paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence to call for: He also states categorically that "on the whole, women are braver than men." | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4eaa9b84 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4eaa9b84 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4f773434 | type |
Wise Beyond Their Years | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4f773434 | comment |
Wise Beyond Their Years: The Vivians and the Aronburg girls. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4f773434 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4f773434 | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_4f773434 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_55a37945 | type |
Badass Family | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_55a37945 | comment |
Badass Family: The Vivians, Dargers and Aronburgs, especially. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_55a37945 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_55a37945 | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_55a37945 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_66755d29 | type |
Author Avatar | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_66755d29 | comment |
Author Avatar: Henry Darger is a major character in the story. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_66755d29 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_66755d29 | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_66755d29 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_77b03c0a | type |
Remember the New Guy? | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_77b03c0a | comment |
Remember the New Guy?: Significantly deep into the story, we are introduced to the Vivian Girls' brother Penrod. Up until this, the story has implied that the Vivian Girls are the only children of King Vivian. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_77b03c0a | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_77b03c0a | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: Glandelinian General John Manly. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_970c790a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_970c790a | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_9d1cc720 | type |
Barbie Doll Anatomy | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_9d1cc720 | comment |
Barbie Doll Anatomy: The child characters are often drawn in the nude. At times this trope is played straight, and at other times averted - however the female children are drawn with male anatomy, for reasons that to this day remain unclear. Since it is assumed that Darger remained celibate his entire life, some historians have theorized that he simply did not know what female sex organs looked like, or that theirs were different from the males. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_9d1cc720 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_9d1cc720 | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_9d1cc720 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a293102a | type |
Eek, a Mouse!! | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a293102a | comment |
Eek, a Mouse!!: Beautifully inverted. At a meeting of Glandelinian higher-ups, the Vivians sneak in and release a bunch of mice, and the men are the ones screaming and climbing up on chairs and tables. Later, imprisoned in a rat-infested dungeon, the girls get the rats to help them escape. | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a293102a | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a6c69bd | type |
MacGuffin | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a6c69bd | comment |
MacGuffin: Henry really did lose a newspaper clipping of Elsie Paroubek, the little girl on whom he based child labor rebel Annie Aronburg. He worked this loss into the story. An inspirational picture of Annie, loved by all the troops, goes missing, setting off a massive search and still more bloodshed. At one point, Henry's characters discuss the portrait in terms that suggest they'd like to Just Eat Gilligan and get on with the liberation. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a6c69bd | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a6c69bd | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a8217606 | type |
Sweet Polly Oliver | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a8217606 | comment |
Sweet Polly Oliver: The little girls often go in disguise as boys when they sneak behind enemy lines. | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a8217606 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a939d96a | type |
Adults Are Useless | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a939d96a | comment |
Adults Are Useless: Averted. Although children are major figures in the story, there are many adult allies and heroes. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a939d96a | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a939d96a | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_a939d96a | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_b9d11ad6 | type |
Self-Insert Fic | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_b9d11ad6 | comment |
Self-Insert Fic: Darger himself appears several times in the novel, portraying both good and evil characters. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_b9d11ad6 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_b9d11ad6 | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_b9d11ad6 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: Uncle Tom's Cabin is a major source of inspiration for Darger, he compares various girl heroes to Little Eva. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_c75df49a | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_c75df49a | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_c75df49a | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_d08595d3 | type |
Broken Bird | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_d08595d3 | comment |
Broken Bird: Jennie Turner. Half-insane after what's happened to her, she's still a valiant fighter. She has the last scene in the book, crying out "Oh, I see God!" as she dies. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_d08595d3 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_d08595d3 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_da46a2c0 | type |
Hollywood Atheist | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_da46a2c0 | comment |
Hollywood Atheist: The Glandelinians are motivated to wage war against Angelinia due to a seething hatred of Christianity (and little girls). | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_da46a2c0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_da46a2c0 | featureConfidence |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_da46a2c0 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_daa59ba1 | type |
Puppy Love | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_daa59ba1 | comment |
Puppy Love: Penrod and Jennie Lillian. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_daa59ba1 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_daa59ba1 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_dae5c997 | type |
Action Girl | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_dae5c997 | comment |
Action Girl: Billions of them, many as young as four or five. Little Girls with Guns are a favorite theme of his illustrations. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_dae5c997 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_dae5c997 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_e1fa8421 | type |
Dead Person Conversation | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_e1fa8421 | comment |
Dead Person Conversation: A bit more than midway through the novel, the late Annie Aronburg appears to one of the rebel leaders and implores him to tell the troops to let go of the obsessive need to search for her missing portrait. | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_e1fa8421 | featureApplicability |
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In the Realms of the Unreal | hasFeature |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_e1fa8421 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_ee7a60e9 | type |
One-Steve Limit | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_ee7a60e9 | comment |
One-Steve Limit: Downplayed, and/or downright averted. There are several Jennies, distinguished by their surnames. Annie Aronburg has an older sister named Anna, and an assortment of characters named Henry Darger or some European translation thereof. Several characters not members of the Vivian family are given the surname Vivian as a badge of honor, or unofficial adoption. | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_ee7a60e9 | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_ee9877ea | type |
Too Good for This Sinful Earth | |
In the Realms of the Unreal / int_ee9877ea | comment |
Too Good for This Sinful Earth: The child martyrs, especially Annie, and the saint-like Jennie Anges. Described as "already marked for heaven", Jennie snatches consecrated communion hosts out of a church tabernacle to protect them from enemy soldiers who would desecrate them. As she is tortured and killed, she wraps her arms around the container, which cannot be pried from her grasp. Thrown into the river, still clutching the container, her body is later recovered and buried properly, with a beautiful tombstone. Jennie is six years old. | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
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In the Realms of the Unreal |
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