The Vampyre and Ernestus Berchtold; or, The Modern Oedipus


Book Description

In 1816, John William Polidori travelled to Geneva as Lord Byron’s personal physician. There they met Mary Godwin (later Shelley) and her lover Percy Shelley and decided to while away a wet summer by writing ghost stories. The only two to complete their stories were Mary Shelley, who published Frankenstein in 1818, and Polidori, whose The Vampyre and Ernestus Berchtold were both published in 1819. The Vampyre, based on a discarded idea of Byron’s, is the first portrayal of the alluring vampire figure familiar to readers of Bram Stoker and Anne Rice. Ernestus Berchtold scandalously draws on the rumours of Byron’s affair with his half-sister for a Faustian updating of the myth of Oedipus, which it combines with an account of the struggle of Swiss patriots against the Napoleonic invasion. Along with Polidori’s work, this edition also includes stories read and written by the travellers in the Genevan summer of 1816 and contemporary responses to The Vampyre and Ernestus Berchtold.




Goth


Book Description

Since it first emerged from Britain’s punk-rock scene in the late 1970s, goth subculture has haunted postmodern culture and society, reinventing itself inside and against the mainstream. Goth: Undead Subculture is the first collection of scholarly essays devoted to this enduring yet little examined cultural phenomenon. Twenty-three essays from various disciplines explore the music, cinema, television, fashion, literature, aesthetics, and fandoms associated with the subculture. They examine goth’s many dimensions—including its melancholy, androgyny, spirituality, and perversity—and take readers inside locations in Los Angeles, Austin, Leeds, London, Buffalo, New York City, and Sydney. A number of the contributors are or have been participants in the subculture, and several draw on their own experiences. The volume’s editors provide a rich history of goth, describing its play of resistance and consumerism; its impact on class, race, and gender; and its distinctive features as an “undead” subculture in light of post-subculture studies and other critical approaches. The essays include an interview with the distinguished fashion historian Valerie Steele; analyses of novels by Anne Rice, Poppy Z. Brite, and Nick Cave; discussions of goths on the Internet; and readings of iconic goth texts from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to James O’Barr’s graphic novel The Crow. Other essays focus on gothic music, including seminal precursors such as Joy Division and David Bowie, and goth-influenced performers such as the Cure, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson. Gothic sexuality is explored in multiple ways, the subjects ranging from the San Francisco queercore scene of the 1980s to the increasing influence of fetishism and fetish play. Together these essays demonstrate that while its participants are often middle-class suburbanites, goth blurs normalizing boundaries even as it appears as an everlasting shadow of late capitalism. Contributors: Heather Arnet, Michael Bibby, Jessica Burstein, Angel M. Butts, Michael du Plessis, Jason Friedman, Nancy Gagnier, Ken Gelder, Lauren M. E. Goodlad, Joshua Gunn, Trevor Holmes, Paul Hodkinson, David Lenson, Robert Markley, Mark Nowak, Anna Powell, Kristen Schilt, Rebecca Schraffenberger, David Shumway, Carol Siegel, Catherine Spooner, Lauren Stasiak, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock




Frankenstein - Third Edition


Book Description

D.L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf’s edition of Frankenstein has been widely acclaimed as an outstanding edition of the novel—for the general reader and the student as much as for the scholar. The editors use as their copy-text the original 1818 version, and detail in an appendix all of Shelley’s later revisions. They also include a range of contemporary documents that shed light on the historical context from which this unique masterpiece emerged. New to this edition is a discussion of Percy Shelley’s role in contributing to the first draft of the novel. Recent scholarship has provoked considerable interest in the degree to which Percy Shelley contributed to Mary Shelley’s original text, and this edition’s updated introduction discusses this scholarship. A new appendix also includes Lord Byron’s “A Fragment” and John William Polidori’s The Vampyre, works that are engaging in their own right and that also add further insights into the literary context of Frankenstein.




The Vampire in Folklore, History, Literature, Film and Television


Book Description

This comprehensive bibliography covers writings about vampires and related creatures from the 19th century to the present. More than 6,000 entries document the vampire's penetration of Western culture, from scholarly discourse, to popular culture, politics and cook books. Sections by topic list works covering various aspects, including general sources, folklore and history, vampires in literature, music and art, metaphorical vampires and the contemporary vampire community. Vampires from film and television--from Bela Lugosi's Dracula to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood and the Twilight Saga--are well represented.




His Masters Reflection


Book Description

Qualifying as a doctor in 1815 at the tender age of nineteen, John Polidori was employed less than a year later by the poet, Lord Byron, as his travelling physician. The precocious medic was seemingly destined for a bright future that would enable him to combine his profession with a love of literature. In His Masters Reflection, the authors follow Polidoris footsteps as he accompanies Byron through Europe to Switzerland where they eventually meet the Shelleys and Claire Clairmont. Fulfilling his fathers prophecy, the fateful summer will prove to have a devastating impact on Polidoris life and legacy. Byrons keen wit and elevated status would leave the sensitive doctor feeling isolated and undervalued. Fuelled by acerbic comments from the poets friends, Byron finally releases Polidori from his contract, leaving the penniless medic to wander over the Alps on foot to Italy, his fathers homeland. Despite attempts at establishing himself as a doctor to the expatriate community, he has to admit defeat and return to England. Still harbouring literary ambitions, his one chance at fame is cruelly denied when The Vampyre, the story he had written in Geneva, is attributed to Byron. Gossip and retelling of events have cast Polidori in the role of a petulant plagiarist. Concussion from a riding accident deeply affected Polidoris temperament and behaviour, leaving questions surrounding his death, which history has recorded as suicide by prussic acid, despite the coroners verdict of visitation by God. The authors delve into his final years in an attempt to redress the balance. The handsome Polidori was more than just his masters reflection.




The Broadview Anthology of British Literature Volume 4: The Age of Romanticism - Third Edition


Book Description

In all six of its volumes The Broadview Anthology of British Literature presents British literature in a truly distinctive light. Fully grounded in sound literary and historical scholarship, the anthology takes a fresh approach to many canonical authors, and includes a wide selection of work by lesser-known writers. The anthology also provides wide-ranging coverage of the worldwide connections of British literature, and it pays attention throughout to matters such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. The full anthology comprises six bound volumes, together with an extensive website component; the latter is accessible by using the passcode obtained with the purchase of one or more of the bound volumes. A two-volume Concise Edition and a one-volume Compact Edition are also available.




'The Vampyre' and Other Writings


Book Description

"Franklin Charles Bishop's introduction illuminates the context in which The Vampyre was written, deepening our understanding of Romanticism and the Gothic."--Jacket.




STRANGE STRANGE THINGS: 550+ Supernatural Mysteries, Macabre & Horror Classics


Book Description

STRANGE STRANGE THINGS: 550+ Supernatural Mysteries, Macabre & Horror Classics is a monumental assembly of narratives that traverses the shadowy boundaries of the supernatural, the uncanny, and the outright terrifying. This collection boasts an unparalleled diversity in literary styles, encompassing the gothic tales of the 18th century, the psychological horror of the 19th century, and the cosmic dread of the early 20th century. The anthology highlights the genre's evolution, featuring seminal works that have shaped our understanding of fear and fascination with the unknown. Each piece, carefully selected for its contribution to the tapestry of horror and supernatural literature, stands as a testament to the genre's richness and complexity, showcasing the stylistic innovation and depth of insight that horror and macabre tales can offer. The backgrounds of the contributors to STRANGE STRANGE THINGS are as varied as the themes they explore, encompassing renowned authors from different eras and cultures, each bringing their unique voice and perspective to the collection. From the psychological realism of Henry James to the dark romanticism of Edgar Allan Poe, and the pioneering science fiction of H.G. Wells, this anthology not only charts the historical and cultural shifts within the genre but also reflects the broader human condition through its exploration of fear, desire, and the supernatural. The collective contributions of these authors provide a rich, multidimensional experience of the macabre, enlivened by their diverse cultural backgrounds and literary traditions, thereby enriching the reader's understanding of the multifaceted nature of horror and supernatural literature. STRANGE STRANGE THINGS is an indispensable volume for both aficionados and new readers of the horror and supernatural genres, offering a comprehensive journey through the labyrinth of humanity's deepest fears and darkest fantasies. This collection serves as a unique educational tool, broadening the readers literary horizons and deepening their appreciation for the craft of storytelling. It invites readers to immerse themselves in a world where the extraordinary confronts the ordinary, where the boundary between the known and the unknown blurs, and to explore the profound psychological and philosophical questions that these stories evoke. For anyone seeking to understand the breadth and depth of the supernatural in literature, STRANGE STRANGE THINGS is an unrivaled compendium that promises endless hours of fascination and awe.




Halloween Horrors - Ultimate Collection


Book Description

DigiCat presents to you this unique Halloween collection of the greatest horror classics, the darkest mysteries and supernatural tales: H. P. Lovecraft: The Dunwich Horror. From Beyond... Washington Irving: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Rip Van Winkle The Spectre Bridegroom James Malcolm Rymer & Thomas Peckett Prest: Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street Edgar Allan Poe: The Fall of the House of Usher The Cask of Amontillado The Pit and the Pendulum... Algernon Blackwood: The Willows The Wendigo Ancient Sorceries... Mary Shelley: Frankenstein The Heir of Mondolfo The Invisible Girl... Henry James: The Turn of the Screw The Ghostly Rental... John William Polidori: The Vampyre Bram Stoker: Dracula The Lair of the White Worm... Robert Louis Stevenson: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Gaston Leroux: The Phantom of the Opera Marjorie Bowen: Black Magic Charles Dickens: The Mystery of Edwin Drood The Haunted House To Be Read At Dusk... Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray Théophile Gautier: Clarimonde The Mummy's Foot Richard Marsh: The Beetle Arthur Conan Doyle: The Hound of the Baskervilles The Silver Hatchet... Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: Carmilla Uncle Silas... Matthew Gregory Lewis: The Monk Ann Radcliffe: The Mysteries of Udolpho Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White The Devil's Spectacles Rudyard Kipling: The Phantom Rickshaw Guy de Maupassant: The Horla M. R. James: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary A Thin Ghost and Others Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Birth Mark The House of the Seven Gables... Ambrose Bierce: Can Such Things Be? William Hope Hodgson: The House on the Borderland The Night Land Horace Walpole: The Castle of Otranto William Thomas Beckford: Vathek George W. M. Reynolds: Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf Catherine Crowe: Ghosts and Family Legends Thomas Hardy: What the Shepherd Saw The Grave by the Handpost Elizabeth Gaskell: The Old Nurse's Story The Poor Clare... Fitz-James O'Brien: The Lost Room The Diamond Lens Marie Belloc Lowndes: From Out the Vast Deep...




Master's Theses Directories


Book Description

"Education, arts and social sciences, natural and technical sciences in the United States and Canada".