What is so fascinating about circus life?

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Re: What is so fascinating about circus life?

Post by Mildred Tabitha »

I feel Duke is not satisfied with his life as a sword swallower. He does it because he earns from it. I have never attended circus before. I only read in books and see in movies.
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Post by mrswoodlee »

The circus fascinates me from a sociological standpont. It turns the exotic and macabre into entertainment. It brings danger just under our nose and lets us experience it vicariously as we watch the handlers take on "wild" animals. Ultimately, the audience is really responsible for the illusion, as the whole wouldn't be complete if we didn't choose to believe the danger to be real.

It's a complicated system, and there's plenty negative to say, but it's nothing short of fascinating all the same.
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Sketches_by_Shell wrote: 10 May 2018, 09:34
kfwilson6 wrote: 09 May 2018, 10:25 I actually only prefer the performance aspects of the circus, which I think is why I prefer Cirque de Soleil to the typical circus. I don't care for "the freaks." I don't want to go to laugh at odd looking or weird people. I want to go to see skills that others have that I don't typically get to see. I don't recall the last time I went to the circus but I have been to a Cirque de Soleil show as an adult and really enjoy the acrobatics of it.

As for Duke, I actually don't think sword swallowing was enough for him. I think he thrives on excitement, which is why he briefly did the straight-jacket escape. He enjoyed the money, which supported his addictions, and he enjoyed the danger of what he was doing. He seemed to be really fixated on defying death as long as he truly thought he could. When he was injured doing the straight-jacket escape, I think he realized too much of the outcome was in someone else's hands. He seemed to want something more, but I think that something continued to allude him, hence the drinking and drugs.
I have not been to a circus, but I have seen Cirque du Soleil, and it was fantastic. We had second to the last row seats, and they turned out to be the best. We got the best views of the high flying acrobatics. This is the aspect of any circus that I like best. The only experience of circus life outside of the show, I learned from a book! I cannot even remember what it was titled, it was good, though. The people seemed to be there for some reason or another, that did not fit them into society.
High Flying Acrobatics is what fascinates me most, as well. It seems like such a rush, such excitement. I would love to be able to perform such feats.
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Post by desantismt_17 »

1. What do you think of the mirage of circus life in general?
I love it. I mean--I love reading about it and getting lost in it. As someone who enjoys reading speculative fiction, anything mystical or magical appeals to me. This includes the circus.

2. Are you still going to the circus? What do you love/hate most about the circus?
I haven't been in years, but I'd like to go to one again.

3. How is circus life described in the book?
There was much less of the mystery in the book than I expected. The focus was more on the lives of people who perform in the circus, the sideshow performers in particular. While this isn't what I hoped for, it still interested me

4. Is Duke satisfied with his new life as a sword swallower?
He seems to be. But who can really tell what satisfies someone else? Then again, his drinking and drug use might suggest he's seeking something more. Short answer: I don't know.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

P0tt3ry wrote: 01 May 2018, 09:56 The circus has always fascinated me because it seems to be a foreign country that travels from place to place. My father was a carnie during his teens and early twenties. He'd entertain us with stories of the behind-the-scene aspects of tear-down and set-up, including the mishaps. I visualized a close family on a constant adventure. The book described circus life but not in-depth. I wanted to know more about the Duke's circus family and was disappointed that people he was close to just disappeared from the story. Duke was an adrenaline junky and sword swallowing, with the constant chance of death, satisfied the itch. Adding more and more acts struck me as a way for him to find new ways to achieve the adrenaline high.
It must have been quite interesting for you to hear all the details about what is happening behind the curtains. How did your father use to talk about circus life? With nostalgia? With pride? I haven't finished reading the book. What you have written about Duke could be true. I was just wondering if his circus life is merely a result of his adrenaline addiction or it could be something else entirely, like a reaction against misfortune, a cry for help, an act of defiance against oppresive social norms or simply the need of a family, of being accepted and loved.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

Christina O Phillips wrote: 01 May 2018, 10:21 I myself am drawn to the circus because it is so different from my day to day life: the activities, the food, the culture, the types of people. I enjoy stories that have a circus or traveling show as the setting (The Night Circus, a season of American Horror Story). I do not go to the circus anymore, but I do go to county fairs still. I am not done with this book yet so I can't answer the other questions.
This was the reason why I used the word "fascinate" in the first place. Circus life has a certain type of aura. Whether people like it or not, it inevitably stirs a reaction. There are those who fantasize of running away with the circus because they think they will have the chance to travel and see the world with no additional worries or responsibilities. Circus life has many other facets, of course. Some of them are darker like animal cruelty. However, the lure is always there because circus people do things which ordinary people would never dream of doing.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

Vlinstry wrote: 01 May 2018, 11:32 Still reading the book but I can say that I have always found the circus life so alluring. I am a weird one because I don't actually like going to what most people think of as the circus as I am terrified of clowns, but I do love the more traditional cirucus' with the ideas being centred around misfits and the strange, yet wonderful. I love the pull of the circus. I love that it seems like a way of escaping the every day. It looks like it is a way to be part of a faimily and to bring joy to lots of other people at the same time.

Once I have finished the book I will be able to answer your other questions.
I don't find clowns so amusing either, yet I used to go to the circus and I am still going sometimes. It's interesting you mentioned misfits and the strange in connection with the circus. There is this novel I have read - The Gaze by Elif Shafak. It's about the weird love affair between an obese woman and a dwarf. In a magical realist sort of way, all kinds of other characters emerge. In the past, one of these characters has the idea of building up a cherry-colored tent where women come to see the ugliest creature and men come to see the most beautiful girl in the world. It's all connected to people's "gaze", voyeurism, prejudice, self-sufficiency, the readiness to judge, etc.
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Post by bootsie0126+ »

PlanetHauth wrote: 02 May 2018, 22:58
Duke's plunge into circus life reminded me of the Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin who saw the carnival and carnivalesque as a celebration of freedom, a means of escaping social norms and conventions. At the circus, we are all ready to embrace the carnival atmosphere and forget restrictions.
I think that's exactly why circus life is so appealing to some. The circus and carnival represent freedom on a couple of fronts. First, particularly for the character, the circus is his freedom from his family. He no longer has to deal with them if he doesn't want to. He has control over the situation now, where he didn't before.

Second, the idea of the circus or carnival as "a means of escaping social norms and conventions" is absolutely correct. When you think circus, what do you picture? I picture animal performances and clowns to start, but thinking back on older versions of the circus, I picture "freaks" and the abnormal things they could do for performances. The Bearded Lady, the Strong Man, and any others (though some were absolutely manufactured "freaks") all represent a break from the normal. The circus has always been a safe-harbor of sorts for "freaks." Circuses built themselves up on a foundation of abnormal, so it's really no wonder why people would see them as a point of freedom.

Third (I know, I said only a couple points), the circus or carnival could have been a means of financial freedom for some. Granted, money depended on customer attendance, but think about it. You don't need a formal education to work in the circus. If you could perform manual labor of some kind or create an act that would entertain audiences, you were pretty much set for circus work. That could potentially make the circus a haven for folks who couldn't afford education or formal training in a trade. Now, this may not be true in modern circuses, and may absolutely be an outdated point of view. I was thinking more in past on this particular point.
Your second point is interesting. After reading many of the post regarding the fascination with circus life, I was a little confused at many comments regarding freak shows at circus. Growing in the inner city, there was only "The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus" that came to our city once a year. The circus was performed in a indoor arena with what was called a "three-ring circus" Performances were done in all three rings simutaneously with the "Ring Master" in the center rings. Acts included the largest elephant stunts an synchronize dancing, bare-back horse riding while doing acrobatic an gymnasium stunts, the men on the flying trapeze, death deving high wire tight-rope walking, wild animal training,clowns and much more. I never seen the "freak shows" that others are referring too.

However, carnivals could be seen in multiple locations throughout the city. These carnivals stayed around for about a month or two, moving from one vacant lot to another. Carnivals were known for the small amusement park rides, games where you could win prizes, and of course the "freak shows" that were hidden behind a curtain with an announcer standing outside trying to get you to come see for yourself the amazing and incredible.... As you mentioned, the Bearded Lady, The Strong Man, and the Half Man/Half Animal person (which was a total joke). Carnivals represented a place where those that were not fortunate to go to large amusement parks such as Geauga Lake, Sea World or Cedar Point, could enjoy the feel of that type of atmosphere. They were fund an offer entertainment, but I always associated dishonesty with carnival. The games were rigged and over the years, the freak shows became more and more unbelievable.

I just read about the last performance that Ringling Bros did after 146 years of operation. I started reading the history info and learned that "freak shows" were a part of the attractions at the circus in earlier years. When the two circus Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey emerged, and after ownership changed hands, the "freak show" attractions were removed. This is how carnivals became a spinoff of the circus.
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Post by bootsie0126+ »

Christina Rose wrote: 09 May 2018, 23:14
Vickie Noel wrote: 09 May 2018, 02:39 I've never really been to a circus but what I've seen on TV is downright fascinating! I love watching performers do incredible things and I often wonder how much time and dedication was put in to be able reach that level. It's just amazing.
I agree that it's all amazing and fascinating. The performers truly do seem dedicated, and I'm sure they put in an incredible amount of time developing and maintaining their skills.
I've always thought about the glam and fame of circus performers and the life that they must lead. I never really considered the incredible amount of dedication it took to be a member of a circus. Images of entertaining nite after nite, fun all the time, family atmosphere, harmony, unity, is not the way it really was. A lot of drug abuse occurred, unsafe working conditions, excessive working hours, and feuding amongst workers and workers, workers an management, and management against management. The circus life was often cruel but satisfying for most.
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Post by Misael Carlos »

Circus offers a melange of magical entertainment pieces that make audience entranced and on a fantasy ride for a short while, briefly providing them a world devoid of problems and worries.
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Post by Espie »

cristinaro wrote: 01 May 2018, 03:04 One of the protagonists in Gary Robison's book is Duke Reynolds, a man who runs away from a dysfunctional family environment to join the traveling circus. He soon becomes the Sword Swallower and entertains people not only inside the circus tent, but also on every city street corner.

Duke's plunge into circus life reminded me of the Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin who saw the carnival and carnivalesque as a celebration of freedom, a means of escaping social norms and conventions. At the circus, we are all ready to embrace the carnival atmosphere and forget restrictions.
For the author, in his posted letter (viewtopic.php?f=81&t=67002&p=893170#p893170), the Sword Swallower is not just a mere entertainer but was part of his own journey to personal redemption and subsequent achievements in life.
cristinaro wrote: 01 May 2018, 03:04 1. What do you think of the mirage of circus life in general?
2. Are you still going to the circus? What do you love/hate most about the circus?
3. How is circus life described in the book?
4. Is Duke satisfied with his new life as a sword swallower?
I haven't read the book yet so I won't be able to give you concrete details only derivable from reading the book's entirety relevant to your last two questions. Yet, to answer your questions 1 and 2, I have been to a circus with my husband and our two kids before and it won't be a surprise to find us there again. Obviously, going to one is just like any other family-bonding activity that my brood of four go to which, first of all, should appeal to the kids. I believe that, for the kids-at-heart like myself, it's making loved ones happier which counts. Further, just like watching cartoons or comics or any other sci-fi movie that we engross myself into, the circus provides a momentary respite from the seriousness of the world and opens up a world of creativity and imagination of what could be other what is readily observable in actual reality; it's a refuge from the ravages of a tiring day or the cares of adulthood without the harm, stigma and other negativities that abrasive addictions or past-times others may be into (such as drugs or alcohol abuse) are notorious for.
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Post by kfwilson6 »

Christina Rose wrote: 09 May 2018, 23:28
Nena_Morena wrote: 09 May 2018, 22:34 I've never been to a circus, although I saw it on tv very often. I always thought of it as a place where extraordinary people with extraordinary abilities come together and open up a new world where anything is possible.
I loved how the circus was described in the book, it really sounded as if many lost people with a common love had finally found a family.
I think Duke was happy in his new life. I really believe there are people like him that feel satisfied only by doing what they love no matter the circumstances.
I love the way you describe those who are a part of the circus life. I cringe every time I read the performers being described as freaks. Extraordinary is a much better description, in my opinion.
I like both of your posts. The circus is full of unique people with talents that are just as special. I really did not like the idea of anyone being called freaks even though the circus family allowed themselves to voluntarily be labelled this way to draw a crowd. At least they seemed to be happy anyway.
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Post by bootsie0126+ »

CaitlynLynch wrote: 04 May 2018, 00:53 I think traditional circuses have gained a bad reputation in recent years because of cases of animal cruelty which have been brought to life. I wouldn't visit any circus which featured animal acts.
You are correct. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus had been around for 145 years and just recently gave their last performance in Oct of 2017. It ran from 1871 to 2017. The last couple of years was destructive for the circus due to allegations of animal cruelty. Animal rights group claimed that the animals were living in deplorable conditions and a lawsuit occurred. The circus decided to stop using elephants in the act in 2016. Other reports of animal neglect were starting to emerge an the circus announced the closing in 2017.

I don't know how true the allegations were but I can imagine the hard method of trainning that were used. I can visualize the animals being subjected to a whip in order to make them obey a command. Although you never see for instance a lion tamer actually strike a lion or tiger in the ring, but I know that they would have to be offstage in order to get the attention of the animal. What people fail to realize is the fact that they are dealing with wild animals, no matter how well you think an animal can be, there are still wild by nature and drastic things had to be done to keep them in check.
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Post by PlanetHauth »

bootsie0126+ wrote: 13 May 2018, 12:02
PlanetHauth wrote: 02 May 2018, 22:58
Duke's plunge into circus life reminded me of the Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin who saw the carnival and carnivalesque as a celebration of freedom, a means of escaping social norms and conventions. At the circus, we are all ready to embrace the carnival atmosphere and forget restrictions.
I think that's exactly why circus life is so appealing to some. The circus and carnival represent freedom on a couple of fronts. First, particularly for the character, the circus is his freedom from his family. He no longer has to deal with them if he doesn't want to. He has control over the situation now, where he didn't before.

Second, the idea of the circus or carnival as "a means of escaping social norms and conventions" is absolutely correct. When you think circus, what do you picture? I picture animal performances and clowns to start, but thinking back on older versions of the circus, I picture "freaks" and the abnormal things they could do for performances. The Bearded Lady, the Strong Man, and any others (though some were absolutely manufactured "freaks") all represent a break from the normal. The circus has always been a safe-harbor of sorts for "freaks." Circuses built themselves up on a foundation of abnormal, so it's really no wonder why people would see them as a point of freedom.

Third (I know, I said only a couple points), the circus or carnival could have been a means of financial freedom for some. Granted, money depended on customer attendance, but think about it. You don't need a formal education to work in the circus. If you could perform manual labor of some kind or create an act that would entertain audiences, you were pretty much set for circus work. That could potentially make the circus a haven for folks who couldn't afford education or formal training in a trade. Now, this may not be true in modern circuses, and may absolutely be an outdated point of view. I was thinking more in past on this particular point.
Your second point is interesting. After reading many of the post regarding the fascination with circus life, I was a little confused at many comments regarding freak shows at circus. Growing in the inner city, there was only "The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus" that came to our city once a year. The circus was performed in a indoor arena with what was called a "three-ring circus" Performances were done in all three rings simutaneously with the "Ring Master" in the center rings. Acts included the largest elephant stunts an synchronize dancing, bare-back horse riding while doing acrobatic an gymnasium stunts, the men on the flying trapeze, death deving high wire tight-rope walking, wild animal training,clowns and much more. I never seen the "freak shows" that others are referring too.

However, carnivals could be seen in multiple locations throughout the city. These carnivals stayed around for about a month or two, moving from one vacant lot to another. Carnivals were known for the small amusement park rides, games where you could win prizes, and of course the "freak shows" that were hidden behind a curtain with an announcer standing outside trying to get you to come see for yourself the amazing and incredible.... As you mentioned, the Bearded Lady, The Strong Man, and the Half Man/Half Animal person (which was a total joke). Carnivals represented a place where those that were not fortunate to go to large amusement parks such as Geauga Lake, Sea World or Cedar Point, could enjoy the feel of that type of atmosphere. They were fund an offer entertainment, but I always associated dishonesty with carnival. The games were rigged and over the years, the freak shows became more and more unbelievable.

I just read about the last performance that Ringling Bros did after 146 years of operation. I started reading the history info and learned that "freak shows" were a part of the attractions at the circus in earlier years. When the two circus Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey emerged, and after ownership changed hands, the "freak show" attractions were removed. This is how carnivals became a spinoff of the circus.
That's really interesting! And it makes sense. Any time I've seen older depictions of the circus, it included carnival games and the like (perhaps not rides, depending on the era). I guess it's only normal that the two divisions branched off.
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Post by Lolo Skyooz »

I think the transient nature of the circus is what is traditionally attractive about it. It's a job that can be gotten easily, even if you have a record, or you're homeless, or an addict, whatever. It's an opportunity to travel, and also a means of cover if you need to keep moving around to avoid being found by someone. It takes you to new places, lets you meet new and interesting people, so it feels adventurous. But also, it's all about performance and living a life built around a stage. Some people just gravitate towards that.
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