Category Archives: Books and Articles

Crossing genres in fantastic fiction – some new novels

Posted on 5th August 2016 by William the Bloody

I am fascinated by what emerges when genres meet, combine, come into conflict. Genres bring with them ways of looking at the world and fiction that doesn’t settle easily into any one genre can result in complex and subtle perspectives. … Continue reading →

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Angela Carter and Christopher Frayling

Posted on 27th July 2016 by William the Bloody

Some more resources on the ever-fascinating Angela Carter here. There’s a (not entirely enthusiastic) review by Kate Webb in the TLS of Sir Christopher Frayling’s recent collection of essays, Inside the Bloody Chamber: On Angela Carter, the Gothic, and Other … Continue reading →

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Andrew Smith, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Frankenstein

Posted on 26th July 2016 by William the Bloody

Andrew Smith of the University of Sheffield has edited this exciting new collection of essays on Frankenstein in the always-useful Cambridge Companions series–out in September 2016. It approaches the classic Gothic novel from a variety of perspectives and considers adaptations … Continue reading →

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Marcus Sedgwick’s new novel: Saint Death

Posted on 18th June 2016 by William the Bloody

The marvellous Marcus Sedgwick, prize-winning YA and children’s novelist, has a new novel, Saint Death; an extract features here. I’m not sure whether this is in the  Gothic or fantastic mode (though the title suggests Gothic undertones) like many of … Continue reading →

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The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies

Posted on 15th June 2016 by William the Bloody

The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies have moved to a new–and fine-looking–website here. I’ve amended the link in the Related Links column that appears on the Blog and Resources page to lead to the new site.

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David Richter, The Progress of Romance

Posted on 13th June 2016 by William the Bloody

I’m reading David Richter’s The Progress of Romance: Literary Historiography and the Gothic Novel–one of the best books on literary theory I’ve read for a long while. It’s an undogmatic approach to the way that literature, and especially literary genres, … Continue reading →

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Essays on Fantastic Fiction and SF

Posted on 11th June 2016 by William the Bloody

This is a very useful web page, with short reviews of books of essays on science fiction and other fantastic literature, covering such fields as steampunk and Afrofuturism, and by such authors as Neil Gaiman, Ursula Le Guin, Octavia Butler, … Continue reading →

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Franziska Kohlt, ‘Alice in the asylum: Wonderland and the real mad tea parties of the Victorians’

Posted on 11th June 2016 by William the Bloody

An excellent article here by Franziska Kohlt, ‘Alice in the asylum: Wonderland and the real mad tea parties of the Victorians‘. Franziska looks at the Alice books and the theme of madness in the context of both the recent Disney … Continue reading →

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Genres, Classification, and Adventures in the Library

Posted on 7th June 2016 by William the Bloody

In my explorations of the endless swarming and interbreeding of genres that is contemporary popular fiction, I recently discovered a new species. Among the proliferating subsubsubgenres of paranormal romance and similar breeds, I’ve noticed quite a few that feature libraries … Continue reading →

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Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Straub, and the New Horror

Posted on 7th June 2016 by William the Bloody

I must confess I’m not a great fan of horror. But this excellent essay by Terrence Rafferty on a new wave of subtle and ambiguous literary horror does make me want to explore some of the writers here. Joyce Carol … Continue reading →

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