Author Archives: William the Bloody

About William the Bloody

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

History at Stake! The Story Behind Vampire Slaying Kits

Posted on 15th November 2014 by William the Bloody

We’ve shown a few pictures of vampire slaying kits on this blog before. Here’s a historical account of them from the British Library, where they have one on display as part of the Terror and Wonder exhibition on Gothic.

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Neil Gaiman on Fairy Tales Revisited

Posted on 15th November 2014 by William the Bloody

Of interest to anyone concerned with the contemporary transformation of fairy tales, in YA Gothic and elsewhere, this podcast by the always brilliant and imaginative author Neil Gaiman discusses his new interpretation of the Grimms’ tale ‘Hansel and Gretel’.

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Frankenstein and the Vampyre: A Dark and Stormy Night

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

An account of that seminal moment when both Frankenstein and the literary vampire were born; part of BBC4’s season on Gothic. I’ve not watched this yet (not having a TV), but the very erudite Dr Angela Wright of the University … Continue reading →

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Dale Townshend, ‘An introduction to Ann Radcliffe’

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

An excellent and illuminating piece by Dr Dale Townshend, Senior Lecturer in Gothic and Romantic Literature at the University of Stirling, on the work of Ann Radcliffe, one of the pioneers of the Gothic novel.

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CFP: Brave New Worlds: The Dystopia in Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Newcastle University, 29 April 2015

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

Not strictly Gothic, but there’s space to contribute something to this conference, I think: Brave New Worlds: The Dystopia in Modern and Contemporary Fiction The modes of the Gothic and the dystopian often interact, especially in recent YA fiction, where, … Continue reading →

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The 10 Weirdest Horror Movies of All Time

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

A series of short summaries and excerpts from some astonishingly, bizarrely, silly horror films.

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Review of Screening Twilight: Critical Approaches to a Cinematic Phenomenon

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

Dr Rebecca Williams, Lecturer in Communication, Culture and Media Studies at the University of South Wales and a contributor to the OGOM special issue of Gothic Studies, reviews an interesting new collection of essays on the Twilight films: Screening Twilight: … Continue reading →

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A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

A short review and trailer for Ana Lily Amirpou’s new vampire film from Iran, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. This looks exciting, intelligent, and stylish.

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Neil McRobert, ‘The Current State of Experimental Gothic: Part One’

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

A very interesting blog post by Neil McRobert, the first part of a discussion on postmodern experimental Gothic fiction (of which Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves (2000) is exemplary).

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Amanda Hopkins, ‘The Medieval Werewolf’

Posted on 13th November 2014 by William the Bloody

A fascinating and useful blog article on the literary representations of werewolves in medieval romance by Dr Amanda Hopkins at the University of Warwick.

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