Category Archives: Books and Articles

Wonder Woman and Her Influence

Posted on 27th June 2017 by William the Bloody

A fascinating essay by Michele Kennerly and Carly S. Woods, ‘Wonder Woman and Her Influence‘, which takes an unusual approach through Classical Studies and rhetoric, considering the reception of the iconic feminist superheroine and exploring the stress on persuasion that surrounds … Continue reading →

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Struwwelpeter — Original Illustrations

Posted on 27th June 2017 by William the Bloody

An interesting essay by Sarah Lascow on the cautionary tales of Heinrich Hoffman, including, most notably, ‘Struwwelpeter’: ‘The 19th-Century Book of Horrors That Scared German Kids Into Behaving‘. The tales influenced WH Auden and inspired Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. Some … Continue reading →

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15 Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2017

Posted on 27th June 2017 by William the Bloody

Here’s a list by Melissa Albert from the always-useful Barnes & Noble Teen Blog (now added to the Blogroll list of links on the right-hand side). These 15 debut YA novels all look very promising; many of them fall into … Continue reading →

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The Making of ‘An American Werewolf in London’

Posted on 14th June 2017 by firekrank

This is a very interesting, albeit brief, article from The Guardian on the making of An American Werewolf in London (1981). I particularly enjoy the comment about making it look painful. During the ‘Company of Wolves’ conference, my mother watched the transformation scene in … Continue reading →

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Tropical Vampires

Posted on 1st June 2017 by William the Bloody

There’s a special issue, Tropical Liminal: Urban Vampires and Other Blood-Sucking Monstrosities of the online journal eTropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics, 16.1 (2017), devoted to tropical monsters including werewolves and vampires. Some excellent articles here.

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Fairy Tales and Medieval Latin Literature

Posted on 17th May 2017 by William the Bloody

There’s a new book from the University of Michigan Press by Jan M. Ziolkowski, Fairy Tales from Before Fairy Tales: The Medieval Latin Past of Wonderful Lies which traces the connections between the classic tales of Grimm, Andersen, and so on, and … Continue reading →

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The Postmillennial Vampire

Posted on 16th May 2017 by William the Bloody

Congratulations to Dr Sue Chaplin of Leeds Beckett University on her new book, The Postmillennial Vampire: Power, Sacrifice and Simulation in True Blood, Twilight and Other Contemporary Narratives, out now from Palgrave Macmillan. This book explores the contemporary figure of … Continue reading →

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The Obscure Cities

Posted on 11th May 2017 by William the Bloody

These illustrations from François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters’s series of graphic novels, Les Cités Obscures depict a marvellous steampunk-ish parallel world that I hope you find delightful. Thanks to the Messy Nessy Cabinet of Chic Curiosities website, which is full of treats … Continue reading →

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Red Riding Hood and Illustrations

Posted on 11th May 2017 by William the Bloody

Pook Press are a small independent publisher who do some lovely editions of fairy tales and classic children’s literature. Every fortnight, they post a different fairy tale on their blog; this is Perrault’s very familiar version of ‘Red Riding Hood‘, … Continue reading →

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Jack Zipes on the Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Posted on 11th May 2017 by William the Bloody

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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