Author Archives: William the Bloody

About William the Bloody

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

Jack Zipes on the Sorcerer’s Apprentice

The renowned fairy tale critic Jack Zipes has a new book out on the diverse manifestations of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice motif in folklore and literature, from Lucian and Ovid, through the Grimms, to Harry Potter. There’s a thought-provoking interview with … Continue reading

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Penda’s Fen: Symposium, BFI, 10 June 2017

We’ve posted a few items here on Folk Horror recently. The classic TV drama Penda’s Fen (1974) is frequently mentioned in this context; I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never seen it (though have just borrowed the DVD). Sukhdev Sandhu writes about … Continue reading

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Divine Horror: Essays on the Cinematic Battle Between the Sacred and the Diabolical

There’s a new collection announced from McFarland, Divine Horror: Essays on the Cinematic Battle Between the Sacred and the Diabolical, edited by Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper. It looks very promising. From Rosemary’s Baby (1968) to The … Continue reading

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Victoria Schwab UK Tour, 28 July-5 August 2017

Victoria Schwab writes powerful fantasy, both for young adults and adults (the latter as V.E. Schwab). The Shades of Magic series, with its magical parallel Londons, and the magician Kell and pirate/thief Delilah Bard protagonists, is excellent. And I like … Continue reading

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An Interview with Ursula Le Guinn

Fascinating interview with the seminal fantasy and science fiction writer Ursula Le Guinn, author of the children’s YA Earthsea series, the classic SF novels The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, and many others. Le Guin discusses world-building, the ‘soft’ sciences … Continue reading

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CFP: Neo-Gothic

A call for articles on Neo-Gothic for the Phantasma journal, deadine 31 January 2018.

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CFP: Gender and Horror edited collection

A call for articles for a proposed edited collection on gender and horror. Deadline end of May. This edited collection aims to re-examine horror in an era of remakes, reboots and re-imaginings. There have been many developments in the horror … Continue reading

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The Myth of Frankenstein and Scientific Hubris

Here’s an excellent essay by Phillip Ball, ‘“Frankenstein” Reflects the Hopes and Fears of Every Scientific Era‘ that challenges the oft-circulated idea that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is directed against the hubris of scientists. Sometimes, this is framed as feminist critique, but … Continue reading

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Dracula, in history and in comic books

There’s an interesting article here by Duncan Light, ‘Romania’s problem with Dracula‘, on the fraught relationship between Romania and the history, doubtful at times, that lies behind Bram Stoker’s creation of Dracula. And more on the archetypal vampire by Valentin … Continue reading

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Angela Carter Interview with Marie Mulvey-Roberts

Here’s an account of a fascinating radio interview on Angela Carter with Dr Marie Mulvey-Roberts, Associate Professor of English literature at UWE, with a link to the interview.

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