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A NOTE ON THE TEXT

THIS NOTE ILLUSTRATES CONTEXTUAL CLUES THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE READER'S EXPERIENCE OF THE STORY

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WARNING(S): explicit/mature, fluff, angst; depictions of toxic relationships, misogyny and sexism in the 1930s, the great depression and the recession in North America, character death

Disclaimer: The cast bears no resemblance to the characters which they play in terms of personality, views and beliefs, opinions etc., except for visual appearance. The personality, views and beliefs, opinions etc. of characters are purely fictional and are representative of the plot. 

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CAST

Ariana Grande as Anna Rose
Hollywood actress of both stage and screen, Anna's life has always been a steady flow of performing and socialite parties, with not much free time for her to be herself. Engaged to Norman Gates, the heir to a global hotel chain and subsequent modern mogul for his work, she's supposedly living the most comfortable and perfect life one could imagine. Yet, she's beginning to feel trapped, begging to break free from this life leading toward a future that seems to have been chosen for her.

Harry Styles as himself; Elevator Operator
Timid, charming, kind, and hardworking, Harry moved to the city so he may find work to provide for himself and his family back home. Working as the elevator operator at The Gates Hotel in downtown New York City felt like a dream, not just because he was given a free meal and a room to stay in, but because of the beautiful woman who lived on the 17th floor of the building. Sure, just about anyone you asked knew who Anna Rose, the actress, was, but Harry knew Anna, as the smart, funny, sweet, and incredibly strong woman she is behind the scenes.

Liam Payne as Norman Gates
Norman is a realist, a believer in logic, and pragmatic with his business; he'd credit this mentality of his for managing to keep the family business afloat during disastrous times. Still, he lacks the same vision in his relationship with Anna, which almost always inevitably ends up in a fight.

Niall Horan as James Farley; Elevator Operator
Niall is Harry's best friend; they are two of the few elevator operators at The Gates Hotel in New York. They find common ground as two lower-class men trying to make ends meet. While friendly and loyal to Harry, his individualistic mentality sometimes clashes with Harry's more collectivist beliefs. 

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SUPPORTING CAST

Dolores
Hotel manager, concierge.

William
Anna's manager.

Margaret
Harry's supervisor.

Robert and Eric
Anna's bodyguards.

Ginger
Norman's mistress.

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Setting and Time Period

The year is 1937 in Manhattan, New York. It is the beginning of The Recession in the United States which lasted until 1938. The Recession was the economic downturn that occurred in the U.S. during The Great Depression. With a high level of unemployment along with an already fragile economic infrastructure, the sharp economic decline which occurred mid-1937 lead to an increase in unemployment as companies simultaneously struggled with profits, and wages.

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LITERARY REFERENCES

Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a French painter, known as the founder of French impressionist painting (Impressionism). He was a strong believer and practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially in one's art; Impressionism involves attempting to accurately and objectively record visual reality in terms of transient effects of light and colour.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born June 28th, 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland. Rousseau was a philosopher and novelist who had a big impact on 18th-century thinking, culture, and politics, influencing various writers during this time. He was associated with the 'cult of sensibility' movement, which had an emphasis on feeling and emotion as a conduit for knowledge and truth, and an emphasis on freedom and equality as the basis of human life.

Notable work(s) referenced: Rêveries Du Promeneur Solitaire [Reveries of The Solitary Walker ] (1782)
✰ The book is a collection of autobiographical anecdotes, descriptions of the sights he saw on his walks. Embedded in his reveries are discourses about many important topics during this time, such as his previous arguments about education and political philosophy

Villa Diodati and Lake Geneva

June 1816. Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The lake had been engulfed by a torrential rainstorm, which will be later remembered as the legendary 'year without a summer'. Perched high on the shore of the lake is the Villa Diodati, where a group of weary travellers bearing troubled souls and bright minds shelter from the weather. Comprising the group are Villa Diodati's seasonal tenants: Lord Byron, a young and promiscuous poet who is fleeing England after many scandalous accusations of him arise, and John Polidori, his personal doctor. By his invitation, Lord Byron is joined by the struggling poet Percy Shelley, Shelley's lover and future wife Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, and Mary's stepsister Claire Clairmont. The group spend the night telling ghost stories.

As lighting illuminated the lake outside,  Lord Byron tasked the group with devising their own haunting tale. The group, bolstered by the free-flow of wine and laudanum and inspired by the circumstances of their gathering, and the echo of recent conversations on anatomy and the power of nature, some works of literary genius are born: the first modern vampire story, The Vampyre, by John Polidori, which will later inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein.