Author Archives: William the Bloody

About William the Bloody

Cat lover. 18C scholar on the dialogue and novel. Co-convenor OGOM Project

OGOM at the IGA 2026: AI and fairy glamour, shadows, doubles, Dorian Gray, changelings

We are delighted that five members of OGOM have had papers accepted for ‘Gothic Selves/Artificial Others’, the 18th Biennial Conference of the International Gothic Association, to be held at the University of Hull in July. We’re very grateful to the … Continue reading

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Jürgen Habermas (1929–2026): Dialogue, rationality and humanity

Human beings are ineluctably social, and every action they perform that is social, including the transformation of nature so they can live, is coordinated through language. Our lives rest upon our faculty for dialogue, for reaching agreement on what is … Continue reading

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CFPs and Events: Monsters, Victorians, Osgood Perkins, Cottingley Fairies, fairy tales, folklore

CFP: Monster Media Conference 2026 University of Edinburgh, 18-19 June 2026 (in person and on line) Deadline: 15 March 2026 This conference aims to explore the relationship between monsters and the media in which they are portrayed, and the way … Continue reading

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Be my Valentine (even while you’re rotting in your grave)

‘Is he a ghoul or a vampire?’ I mused. I had read of such hideous incarnate demons’ (Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Ch. 34) Like many others, I suspect, I’ve just started rereading Wuthering Heights. And I’m frequently seeing the admonition … Continue reading

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Christmas greetings from OGOM 2025

Sam and I and all the OGOM team wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice and holidays, and a fabulous, magical New Year!! Watch out for OGOM events, news of our reseach and publications, and the CFP for our Sea … Continue reading

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Events & CFPs: Mermaids, vampires, folkore, fairy tales, Gothic, Romanticism, Victorian, science

* Some deadlines, e.g. for CFPs, are very close! Sea Changes conference videos The videos of the online day of our September 2025 conference, Sea Changes: The fairytale Gothic of mermaids, selkies, and enchanted hybrids of ocean and river are … Continue reading

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Events and CFPs: Fairytale ballads, water horses, Romanticism, Victorian, Gothic others, science, Ann Radcliffe

NB: The BARS deadline is approaching–29 September!! Edit: I forgot to include the Haunted Landscape event at Conwy Hall–my apologies. The Singing Bones: Ballads for the Witching Season The Carterhaugh School, four weeks from 4 November, 2025; on line. A … Continue reading

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Open Graves, Open Minds: Halloween Newsletter 2025

Welcome to the Open Graves Open Minds Newsletter for October. We’re delighted to bring you our news and activities for the 2025 spooky season. We are trying out a new way of publishing the newsletter, directly from the website (other … Continue reading

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Events & CFPs: Fairytales, folklore, female Gothic, fairies, Dracula, fantasy

There are some fantastic events coming up – all our favourite themes! – but first we’d like to thank everyone again who participated in the Sea Changes conference and helped make it such a fabulous event. We have reviews and … Continue reading

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Sea Changes with Molly the Merrow: Latest news

A few words on how the Sea Changes conference planning is progressing. First, let me introduce you to Molly the Merrow, from the waters off the coast of Ireland. Female merrows, as you can see, are very beautiful; sadly, merrow-men … Continue reading

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