Category Archives: Critical thoughts

East of Eden: A Guide to Angels by Dr Sam George

(William Blake (1757-1827), ‘David delivered out of many waters [by angels] with God presiding over’ c.1805) Who and What are Angels? Angels are referred to in Hebrew as mal’ach, in Greek as aggelos, both meaning ‘messenger’. Seraphim, Cherubim and ‘watchers’ … Continue reading

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Redeeming the Wolf / Reclaiming the (Were)Wolf

As I am sure you are aware, it’s only three days until our Being Human event, ‘Redeeming the Wolf: A Story of Persecution, Loss and Rediscover’. There’s still time to book if you wish to learn more about wolves. I … Continue reading

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The Franck Crucifix: A Case of Family Folklore

Last week, I was up (across?) in Worcestershire helping my parents move into their new home. Alongside the mammoth amount of unpacking, there was a chance to wander around the local community. Like many British towns, we found our fair … Continue reading

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‘A devout but nearly silent listener’: dialogue, sociability, and Promethean individualism in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818)

My article, ‘”A devout but nearly silent listener”: dialogue, sociability, and Promethean individualism in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818)’, has been published in The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies, 16 (Autumn 2017) alongside other excellent articles. Here’s a brief … Continue reading

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How long have we believed in vampires? (from The Conversation)

How long have we believed in vampires? EMVDS-photography/Shutterstock.com Sam George, University of Hertfordshire Vampires have a contested history. Some claim that the creatures are “as old as the world”. But more recent arguments suggest that our belief in vampires and … Continue reading

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How long have we believed in vampires?

Sam has an article here, ‘How long have we believed in vampires?‘ for The Conversation on the long history of vampires.

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Female Werewolves and the Big, Bad Wolf

In anticipation of OGOM’s Being Human event, ‘Redeeming the Wolf: A Story of Persecution, Loss, and Rediscovery‘ (tickets for this free event still available here), here are three items which may instruct or amuse. Alexandra MoeHagen argues here that ‘Female … Continue reading

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The Cuckoo in the Nest: Changelings in YA Literature

‘Changelings. The eagerness of FAIRIES to possess themselves of human children is one of the oldest parts of the fairy beliefs and is a specific form of FAIRY THEFT. Mentions of the thefts of babies are to be found in … Continue reading

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My 10 must-read YA books …

This morning I awoke to a tweet from the YA Literature, Media and Culture Research Network which made me a little angry to say the least. It was a link to The Telegraph‘s list of ‘The 10 must-read YA books’. What … Continue reading

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Blogging Buffy for the 20th Anniversary (with Werewolves)

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, the Sheffield Gothic Reading Group have dedicated a series of blogs to this timeless element of popular culture. (I wrote my own personal reflections of my childhood with Buffy … Continue reading

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