Fisher explores the formative aesthetics and heavily coded gay subculture of Sargent’s era and his role as a modern painter who kept modernism at arm’s length. Although he returned periodically to the States for commissions, he became an American member of Britain’s Royal Academy and many of his paintings hang in London’s Tate Gallery as exemplors of late 19th century English art.īiographer Paul Fisher examines and evaluates Sargent’s curious, hinge-like position as an artist overlapping continents and epochs. Born in Florence to American parents, he grew up among expatriates in Paris, where his mother presided over a salon of artists and bohemians. But I have to imagine that once it happens, that’s gonna stick with you for the rest of your life.John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) had the most elusive identity. I’ll admit, I’ve never been attacked by a dog (let alone a whole slavering pack of hell-bent puppers). I mean, it’s nothing you’ll probably ever see covered in a literary classics course, but that’s actually surprisingly deep for this type of fare. For the rest of his life, the dog would always be there.” To quote one of my favorite passages: “The dog was there. It explores not only the trauma that leads the dogs to do what they do, but also the lasting trauma faced by the survivors. But this one is actually kind of impressive. I have read a lot of seventies and eighties horror paperbacks, and a lot of them are more entertaining than good.

One thing that I find particularly interesting about this story is the quality of the writing. I mean, admittedly it is a touch more involved than all that, but…that’s kind of the central theme.

That is, in a nutshell, the story of The Pack. Imagine little Mittens, or Jason, or Rex has gotten so sick of your shit he’s going to find a bunch of his friends and just whomp your whole ass.

Once these poor dogs have been abandoned, Fisher posits, maybe they quickly become not just feral, but bent on vengeance against the species that betrayed their trust. Apparently it was such an epidemic that the island (where Fisher lived) had signs posted imploring people to not abandon their pets. According to the intro by Paperbacks from Hell co-author Will Errickson, this is something that David Fisher had known to take place on Fire Island in the 1970s. But, it’s so much more awful when they treat them like nothing more than a pool float – something you pick up before going on vacation, and just leave behind when you go because you can’t be fucked to pack it back up. It is absolutely horrifying that people abandon animals for any reason at any time. A post shared by Angie – Stranger Sights My Thoughts:

The Pack by David Fisher