#the inherently English Major experience of over analyzing the most obviously things in the most annoying way possible

[someabsolutenonsense]

I have been writing papers for days and have no eloquent bones left in my body, but nobody I know has read Nona so…woe, unhinged rant be upon ye.

Okay this isn’t really deep analysis I mean its fairly obvious but if I don’t get this out of my brain I will absolutely lose it. I’ve been thinking about the significance of Alecto/The Body/Earth???/Vengeful Space Barbie as connected to the poem Annabel Lee. So first of all…

“And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.”

Like this is right there. Literally it’s a tomb with salt water. It’s right there.

“And neither the angels in Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee”

This is John and his whole lyctor connection to her, because even though he is the one who locked her away he still feels connected to her. (John Gaius is so twisted, if I am understanding things right then not only did he destroy the earth but he trapped the earth’s ghost TWICE. Once in a giant living Barbie body and then again in the tomb. He’s so weirdly possessive like “no this is my planet ghost Barbie, I love her but also she’s horrifying so I’m gonna put her in a box forever but she’s still mine, cool?” Not cool, Jod. Not cool.) SO THEN

“And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

In her sepulchre there by the sea—

In her tomb by the sounding sea.”

This is very Harrow ending up in the tomb at the end of the second book, with all of her worship of The Body. And all of the themes of the sea throughout Nona and all of the themes of the sea throughout this poem. And the way John puts Alecto on a pedestal is similar to the way Annabel Lee is framed in the poem. And of course keep in mind that John chose to call her this, he chose this poem, he damn well knows what he’s doing here at least to a certain extent. And also themes of beautiful dead girls we can’t forget about that. AND ALSO THIS SHIT

“It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me. “

Because it WAS many and many a year ago because John and the original lyctors are fucking ancient, kingdom by the sea is earth because our planet is covered in oceans (as reflected also in the way Nona gravitated towards the sea, she longs for it CAUSE SHE’S LITERALLY A FUCKING PLANET) but most insidious of all, and framing this as from John’s pov, is the “lived with no other thought/Than to love and be loved by me.” Because that was the goal, wasn’t it? Not even just about Alecto, with all of his lyctors. John Gaius said “none of you need to remember The Past, or all the terrible shit that happened. Just love me as your God and everything will be chill. Don’t think about it too hard.” But Alecto (a literal fucking planet, not to bring that up again) was Different TM, whiiiich brings us to…

“But we loved with a love that was more than love—

I and my Annabel Lee—

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me. “

The winged seraphs of heaven of course are the other lyctors because even if they didn’t know it yet they DID want what John and Alecto had. You know, perfect lyctorhood where you don’t have to kill someone you love. And that’s the love that was more than love, and John never stopped loving her even though he permanently locked her in a tomb, CAUSE HE’S FUCKING TWISTED and I personally think everyone who wants to should get to kill Jod at least once but I’m glad Alecto got to stab him that one time. Anyway, I am very normal about this.

Also just one more thing

Edgar Allan Poe:

“That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.”

Gideon Nav:

“Do you really have the hots for some chilly weirdo in a coffin?”