Author Archives: Sam George

About Sam George

Associate Professor of Research, School of Humanities, University of Hertfordshire Co-convenor OGOM Project

Black Dogs and Hell Hounds

Ted Hughes described this time of year as ‘The month of the drowned dog’ in his evocative poem ‘November’ where after long rain ‘the land  was sodden as the bed of an ancient lake/ Treed with iron and was bird … Continue reading

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I Saw Three Witches

I saw three witches Asleep in a valley, Their heads in a row, like stones in a flood. Till the moon, creeping upward, Looked white through the valley, And turned them to bushes in bright scarlet bud. (From Walter de … Continue reading

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How Did I Choose Me My Witchcraft Kin? My Past and Future in Witches

‘My Nannie says I’m a child of sin. How did I choose me my witchcraft kin?’ (Waterhouse, ‘The Magic Circle’, 1886, thanks to Janette for this) I found myself in the north of England at the weekend for the Gothic … Continue reading

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CFA: OGOM Company of Wolves Book and Journal Issue

Thank you once more for your contribution to the wonderful Company of Wolves Conference. There was a diverse range of papers, all fascinating, and this was one of the factors that made the conference work so well. As promised, we … Continue reading

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The Emergence of the Sympathetic or Reluctant Vampire in Twentieth-Century Culture

Following my post on the sympathetic witch I should add that I am thinking of Dark Shadows (1966-1971) as being the vampire equivalent of Bewitched (1964-72) and Barnabas Collins as the wonderfully reluctant vampire. Here’s the classic moment when Barnabas Collins is … Continue reading

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The Emergence of the Sympathetic Witch in Twentieth-Century Culture

I’ve been wondering lately how neatly the sympathetic witch corresponds to the rise of the sympathetic vampire in twentieth-century culture?  I was named after one very memorable good witch, Samantha Stephens below, played by Elizabeth Montgomery (my parents were huge … Continue reading

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Gender Flipped Twilight

Following Kaja’s post breaking the news about Beau and Edythe (don’t you just love them already?) I thought I’d post Stephenie Meyer Explains Gender Flipped Twilight from Publisher’s Weekly. Love to hear your views on this. Does Meyer still have … Continue reading

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The British Library’s Animal Tales

I went along to the British Library’s Animal Tales Exhibition today. The show is divided into subsections which include ‘metamorphosis’, ‘wildness’, ‘animal allegories’, ‘tales for children’ and more. The highlight for me was undoubtedly the manuscript of  Angela Carter’s ‘Mr … Continue reading

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CFP Books of Blood – with Image

This is the image for our Books of Blood project designed by John Rimmer who will be co-ordinating the exhibition. The CFP closes on November 1st. Further details below. Still time to submit!! CFP: Books of Blood: a cross-disciplinary investigation … Continue reading

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MA ‘Reading the Vampire’: Starts 5th October

My MA module ‘Reading the Vampire: Science, Sexuality and Alterity in Modern Culture’ is about to begin again on the 5th October. I’ve made some changes this year and included  Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. The session is … Continue reading

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