In Bloom: The Rite of Spring

My love for the ballet, The Rite of Spring, extended to my long homage to its themes which, typically, wasn't set in Russia but in Germany. This day and age, it might have better not to set it in Russia as I would have avoided criticism of using German Romanticism and instead been awarded for not setting something in Russia.

I love The Rite of Spring so much because it is one of the few classical pieces, that are widely known, to deal with virginity and sex in a way that doesn't feel patronizing -- if you don't have sex, you will be sacrificed and die. That is Stravinsky's plot. That is the crux of my In Bloom novel.

I terrified myself listening to The Rite of Spring, not only because of the themes but also the old traditional rural vibe conjured the vision of a village hidden from time where old rituals and ceremonies still take place. In many ways, The Rite of Spring is about the terror of religion. As someone who is now religious, this is less compelling to me but I still look back on this book with fondness.