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Clip 4
Originally published in: Black Clock (15): 164–186.
- GenresFiction
23 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Mark Z. Danielewski
20 books8,664 followersMark Z. Danielewski is an American author best known for his books House of Leaves, Only Revolutions, The Fifty Year Sword, The Little Blue Kite, and The Familiar series.
Danielewski studied English Literature at Yale. He then decided to move to Berkeley, California, where he took a summer program in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent time in Paris, preoccupied mostly with writing.
In the early 1990s, he pursued graduate studies at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He later served as an assistant editor and worked on sound for Derrida, a documentary based on the life of the Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher Jacques Derrida.
His second novel, Only Revolutions, was released in 2006. The novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award.
His novel The Fifty Year Sword was released in the Netherlands in 2005. A new version with stitched illustrations was released in the United States 2012 (including a limited-edition release featuring a latched box that held the book). On Halloween 2010-2012, Danielewski "conducted" staged readings of the book at the REDCAT Theater inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Each year was different and included features such as large-scale shadows, music, and performances from actors such as Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
On May 12, 2015, he released the first volume, The Familiar (Volume 1): One Rainy Day in May in his announced 27-volume series The Familiar. The story "concerns a 12-year-old girl who finds a kitten..." The second volume, The Familiar (Volume 2): Into the Forest was released on Oct. 27, 2015, The Familiar (Volume 3): Honeysuckle & Pain came out June 14, 2016, and The Familiar (Volume 4): Hades arrived in bookstores on Feb. 7, 2017, and The Familiar (Volume 5): Redwood was released on Halloween 2017.
His latest release, The Little Blue Kite, is out now.
Quick Facts
He is the son of Polish avant-garde film director Tad Danielewski and the brother of singer and songwriter Annie Decatur Danielewski, a.k.a. Poe.
House of Leaves, Danielewski's first novel, has gained a considerable cult following. In 2000, Danielewski toured with his sister across America at Borders Books and Music locations, promoting Poe’s album Haunted, which reflects elements of House of Leaves.
Danielewski's work is characterized by experimental choices in form, such as intricate and multi-layered narratives and typographical variation.
In 2015, his piece Thrown, a reflection on Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2, appeared on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Official "Yarn + Ink" apparel inspired by his books House of Leaves and The Familiar is now available through his official website, Amazon and Etsy.
His latest short story, "There's a Place for You" was released on www.markzdanielewski.com in August 2020.
Read more on his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Z....
Danielewski studied English Literature at Yale. He then decided to move to Berkeley, California, where he took a summer program in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent time in Paris, preoccupied mostly with writing.
In the early 1990s, he pursued graduate studies at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He later served as an assistant editor and worked on sound for Derrida, a documentary based on the life of the Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher Jacques Derrida.
His second novel, Only Revolutions, was released in 2006. The novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award.
His novel The Fifty Year Sword was released in the Netherlands in 2005. A new version with stitched illustrations was released in the United States 2012 (including a limited-edition release featuring a latched box that held the book). On Halloween 2010-2012, Danielewski "conducted" staged readings of the book at the REDCAT Theater inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Each year was different and included features such as large-scale shadows, music, and performances from actors such as Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
On May 12, 2015, he released the first volume, The Familiar (Volume 1): One Rainy Day in May in his announced 27-volume series The Familiar. The story "concerns a 12-year-old girl who finds a kitten..." The second volume, The Familiar (Volume 2): Into the Forest was released on Oct. 27, 2015, The Familiar (Volume 3): Honeysuckle & Pain came out June 14, 2016, and The Familiar (Volume 4): Hades arrived in bookstores on Feb. 7, 2017, and The Familiar (Volume 5): Redwood was released on Halloween 2017.
His latest release, The Little Blue Kite, is out now.
Quick Facts
He is the son of Polish avant-garde film director Tad Danielewski and the brother of singer and songwriter Annie Decatur Danielewski, a.k.a. Poe.
House of Leaves, Danielewski's first novel, has gained a considerable cult following. In 2000, Danielewski toured with his sister across America at Borders Books and Music locations, promoting Poe’s album Haunted, which reflects elements of House of Leaves.
Danielewski's work is characterized by experimental choices in form, such as intricate and multi-layered narratives and typographical variation.
In 2015, his piece Thrown, a reflection on Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2, appeared on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Official "Yarn + Ink" apparel inspired by his books House of Leaves and The Familiar is now available through his official website, Amazon and Etsy.
His latest short story, "There's a Place for You" was released on www.markzdanielewski.com in August 2020.
Read more on his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Z....
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 7, 2026
There's a lot to like about this story, and it's expertly done. But it also feels a little forced.
Unlike something like Nabokov's Signs and Symbols, which flirts with strange postmodern fictions using a swift flourish and a desire to pull art from the prose itself, Danielewski feels like he's stumbled into a toolshed full of conceptual writing gimmicks and is eager to use as many as he can before anyone else.
Unlike something like Nabokov's Signs and Symbols, which flirts with strange postmodern fictions using a swift flourish and a desire to pull art from the prose itself, Danielewski feels like he's stumbled into a toolshed full of conceptual writing gimmicks and is eager to use as many as he can before anyone else.
August 9, 2018
Danielewski is quickly becoming my favourite author. Read this at the airport after finishing a disapointing novel and in less than 30 pages it filled me with more joy, wonder, and fear than most books could.
I loved the way the story was presented. It reminded me of how my girlfriend annotates my own writing.
It's difficult to talk about Clip 4 without spoilers but it was a really good read and I'd recommend it as a starting point for people too intimidated by House of Leaves or Our Revolutions.
I loved the way the story was presented. It reminded me of how my girlfriend annotates my own writing.
It's difficult to talk about Clip 4 without spoilers but it was a really good read and I'd recommend it as a starting point for people too intimidated by House of Leaves or Our Revolutions.
March 9, 2026
I'm not someone who feeds on a regular diet of post-modernism, so coming across a story like this felt really refreshing. Think of the average short story; a standard plot, sometimes if it's a real good 'un it'll have a nice twist at the end. Now compare with Clip 4: unconvetional story telling methods, weird unfolding mystery and clever writing.
The story starts off for the first seven pages as an academic paper. On a first read, this was agony and I was tempted to drop it. It was only learning the pain would end and the 'real' story would start that I continued. If you'll forgive the cliche, no pain no gain - quite relevant here.
After those 7 horrible pages (I went on to re-read and they're much more satisfying in giving more context and info to the story), the story really begins. Creative way of telling a story with a creative concept! I enjoyed the way it ends; a sort of psychological horror feel about it.
The main theme in the story is this idea of repetition. Patterns repeat. Clip 4 is replicated. Later Clip 4 is replicated somewhat and becomes Clip 5.
Realic is like a replica of Zeke; the pattern repeats when he meetings Toland in a duplicate scenario of how Zeke meets him. Realic meets his demise after meeting Toland, just like Zeke did.
My opinion is that the cause of the events of Clip 4 is Quantum related. Time/events are being changed constantly.
Overall, a genuinely original and unique take on the short story as a medium. This is seen as a good intro or preparation for House of Leaves - interested to check that out next!
The story starts off for the first seven pages as an academic paper. On a first read, this was agony and I was tempted to drop it. It was only learning the pain would end and the 'real' story would start that I continued. If you'll forgive the cliche, no pain no gain - quite relevant here.
After those 7 horrible pages (I went on to re-read and they're much more satisfying in giving more context and info to the story), the story really begins. Creative way of telling a story with a creative concept! I enjoyed the way it ends; a sort of psychological horror feel about it.
The main theme in the story is this idea of repetition. Patterns repeat. Clip 4 is replicated. Later Clip 4 is replicated somewhat and becomes Clip 5.
Realic is like a replica of Zeke; the pattern repeats when he meetings Toland in a duplicate scenario of how Zeke meets him. Realic meets his demise after meeting Toland, just like Zeke did.
My opinion is that the cause of the events of Clip 4 is Quantum related. Time/events are being changed constantly.
Overall, a genuinely original and unique take on the short story as a medium. This is seen as a good intro or preparation for House of Leaves - interested to check that out next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2025
Didn't understand anything in the beginning, but as the story went on, it leaves you utterly immersed with a weird feeling of dread and helplessness.
January 8, 2022
« Clip 4 », de Mark Z. Danielewski — ou comment le brouillon d’un papier académique peut s’avérer plus subtilement flippant qu’un bon film d’horreur.
L’article en question, écrit par Realic S. Tarnen, constitue le corps de cette histoire hybride, assorti en marge des commentaires de sa compagne, Caroline Weld. Il porte sur un mystérieux fragment vidéo surgi sans contexte ni source, suscitant de longue date l’intérêt et la curiosité des geeks comme des chercheurs. Même la question de sa datation a entraîné des querelles (très !) passionnées entre spécialistes.
Des querelles passionnées… et une étude passionnante, bourrée de références où sont distordues les frontières entre notre culture artistique et ce qu’y glisse Danielewski, y compris en allusion à d’autres siennes œuvres (Caroline commente par exemple un passage en le qualifiant de « super Navidson Recordy » — les initiés sachent !). Il faudra sans doute plusieurs relectures pour explorer ces strates de la narration — ce qui n’est pas dommage, tant la fluidité de l’écriture, les différentes voix et tonalités transcrites avec virtuosité, transmutent la lecture en joie esthétique.
Et pour celles et ceux qui ne seraient pas friands d’analyse académique, les commentaires impulsifs en marge du brouillon constituent un chouette fil pour avancer dans le texte — tour à tour spirituels, techniques, érudites, affectueux… Impulsive, et découvrant l’article en temps réel, la compagne de Realic S. Tarnen fait un bon compagnon d’exploration à travers les secrets de ce fameux ‘Clip 4’.
Et cela vaut le coup de s’accrocher, car… brusquement, le récit bascule. De même que, dans la foulée, l’esprit du lecteur, et de la relectrice. Comme le note Caroline : « Big tonal change here ». Ô combien !
Au fur et à mesure que la rédactrice déroule ce qu’elle a découvert, le mystère s’affine en frissons glacés, et ouvre la voie à un vertige de questions…
Très puissant.
L’article en question, écrit par Realic S. Tarnen, constitue le corps de cette histoire hybride, assorti en marge des commentaires de sa compagne, Caroline Weld. Il porte sur un mystérieux fragment vidéo surgi sans contexte ni source, suscitant de longue date l’intérêt et la curiosité des geeks comme des chercheurs. Même la question de sa datation a entraîné des querelles (très !) passionnées entre spécialistes.
Des querelles passionnées… et une étude passionnante, bourrée de références où sont distordues les frontières entre notre culture artistique et ce qu’y glisse Danielewski, y compris en allusion à d’autres siennes œuvres (Caroline commente par exemple un passage en le qualifiant de « super Navidson Recordy » — les initiés sachent !). Il faudra sans doute plusieurs relectures pour explorer ces strates de la narration — ce qui n’est pas dommage, tant la fluidité de l’écriture, les différentes voix et tonalités transcrites avec virtuosité, transmutent la lecture en joie esthétique.
Et pour celles et ceux qui ne seraient pas friands d’analyse académique, les commentaires impulsifs en marge du brouillon constituent un chouette fil pour avancer dans le texte — tour à tour spirituels, techniques, érudites, affectueux… Impulsive, et découvrant l’article en temps réel, la compagne de Realic S. Tarnen fait un bon compagnon d’exploration à travers les secrets de ce fameux ‘Clip 4’.
Et cela vaut le coup de s’accrocher, car… brusquement, le récit bascule. De même que, dans la foulée, l’esprit du lecteur, et de la relectrice. Comme le note Caroline : « Big tonal change here ». Ô combien !
Au fur et à mesure que la rédactrice déroule ce qu’elle a découvert, le mystère s’affine en frissons glacés, et ouvre la voie à un vertige de questions…
Très puissant.
June 1, 2025
Este cuento de apenas 30 páginas de Mark Z. Danielewski es un aperitivo 5 estrellas para cualquier fan y amante de Casa de hojas, pero que aún no conozca The Familiar. "Clip 4" se presenta como un artículo académico escrito por el ficticio Realic S. Tarnen (personaje que también aparece en The Familiar) y anotado por su novia Caroline Weld, donde se investiga las misteriosas circunstancias de un videoclip de proyección tomado en la década de 1960 llamado Clip 4. El clip ficticio muestra a un hombre de mediana edad y a un joven sentados en la cocina y manteniendo una conversación de lo más críptica.
Un interesante cuento de terror, que comparte el género de "falso texto académico" con Casa de hojas, pero que gana mucho para todos los lectores de The Familiar. En The Familiar, Volumen Uno: A rainy day of may la mención proviene del compañero de trabajo de Anwar, Talbot, quien le pregunta a Anwar sobre los clips. En The Familiar Volumen Dos: Into the forest, mencionan directamente el artículo. Y, por supuesto, cuando se habla de VEM o los Orbes, que parecen revelar imágenes o “Clips” del pasado y del presente cercano .La interconectividad entre las obras de Danielewski trasciende una relación entre “Clip 4” y The Familiar, pero reconozco que esta conexión me ha dado "gustito".
Un interesante cuento de terror, que comparte el género de "falso texto académico" con Casa de hojas, pero que gana mucho para todos los lectores de The Familiar. En The Familiar, Volumen Uno: A rainy day of may la mención proviene del compañero de trabajo de Anwar, Talbot, quien le pregunta a Anwar sobre los clips. En The Familiar Volumen Dos: Into the forest, mencionan directamente el artículo. Y, por supuesto, cuando se habla de VEM o los Orbes, que parecen revelar imágenes o “Clips” del pasado y del presente cercano .La interconectividad entre las obras de Danielewski trasciende una relación entre “Clip 4” y The Familiar, pero reconozco que esta conexión me ha dado "gustito".
May 15, 2025
I loved this! Picked it up owing to it being mentioned in The Familiar Vol 1. Some interesting allusions to House of Leaves and even Only Revolutions. Also a feline theme throughout the beginning. The familiar indeed.
May 8, 2023
Non ci si capisce una mazza
October 4, 2024
This one, however, is crazy good. Insane ending, really stuck the landing with this one. Seriously considering doing an annotated translation of this for my MA Thesis.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews