Category Archives: Critical thoughts

Roger Luckhurst, ‘Why bother reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula?’

Posted on 16th October 2015 by William the Bloody

And again, Roger Luckhurst! This time, a succinct essay on the significance of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, placing it in the context of late nineteenth-century Britain and anxieties over Empire and otherness.

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The Return of ‘The Returned’ (2012 – )

Posted on 15th October 2015 by firekrank

For those who loved ‘The Returned’ (2012 – ), the French series about the dead returning to a small community, Season 2 will be coming out on More 4 later this year. It has been a two year wait for … Continue reading →

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Tracy Hastie, ‘Leather Clad Heroines and the Monster Within’

Posted on 15th October 2015 by William the Bloody

An excellent blog post by Tracy Hastie on the ambivalent sexual politics of the female protagonist of paranormal romance/urban fantasy.

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The Return of the Wolves

Posted on 14th October 2015 by firekrank

A few people today have drawn my attention to the following article on the BBC website: The place where wolves could soon return. I took great pleasure in reading it as I think it offers a balanced view of the … Continue reading →

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Witches from Fiction, Witches from History

Posted on 14th October 2015 by firekrank

Having read Sam’s post on The Emergence of the Sympathetic Witch in Twentieth-Century Culture, I was pleased to see one of my favourite online groups, A Mighty Girl, posting about a book called History’s Witches: An Illustrated Guide (2013) by Lisa Graves. … Continue reading →

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The Emergence of the Sympathetic Witch in Twentieth-Century Culture

Posted on 13th October 2015 by Sam George

I’ve been wondering lately how neatly the sympathetic witch corresponds to the rise of the sympathetic vampire in twentieth-century culture?  I was named after one very memorable good witch, Samantha Stephens below, played by Elizabeth Montgomery (my parents were huge … Continue reading →

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Reflections on ‘The Company of Wolves’

Posted on 30th September 2015 by firekrank

It has been almost a month since ‘Company of Wolves’ and, now that I am back from my holidays, I thought it would be good to reflect on the conference. As is so often the case being an organiser, I … Continue reading →

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Werewolves in a dog eat dog world: Kathryn Hughes in The Guardian

Posted on 31st August 2015 by Sam George

Kathryn Hughes has written a lengthy and pertinent article in The Guardian today in response to our werewolves conference In Our Dog Eat Dog World its Time for Werewolves This article has been shared many many times by Guardian readers … Continue reading →

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Wolves in Southern France

Posted on 19th August 2015 by firekrank

I was lucky enough to spend a few days in the Southern France a few weeks ago. Of course, the wolves were never far behind. Wolves were prevalent in the forested areas of Southern France (Robinson Crusoe’s companion gets eaten … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Irish Werewolves

Posted on 16th August 2015 by Sam George

Serendipity is perhaps an overused term but I saw a production of As You Like It today, whilst taking time out from ‘Company of Wolves’, only to find a bardic reference to (were)wolves! In Act V, Scene ii when Rosalind … Continue reading →

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