Horror Literature through History [2 volumes]

Horror Literature through History [2 volumes] PDF Author: Matt Cardin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440842027
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 1065

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Book Description
This two-volume set offers comprehensive coverage of horror literature that spans its deep history, dominant themes, significant works, and major authors, such as Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, and Anne Rice, as well as lesser-known horror writers. Many of today's horror story fans—who appreciate horror through movies, television, video games, graphic novels, and other forms—probably don't realize that horror literature is not only one of the most popular types of literature but one of the oldest. People have always been mesmerized by stories that speak to their deepest fears. Horror Literature through History shows 21st-century horror fans the literary sources of their favorite entertainment and the rich intrinsic value of horror literature in its own right. Through profiles of major authors, critical analyses of important works, and overview essays focused on horror during particular periods as well as on related issues such as religion, apocalypticism, social criticism, and gender, readers will discover the fascinating early roots and evolution of horror writings as well as the reciprocal influence of horror literature and horror cinema. This unique two-volume reference set provides wide coverage that is current and compelling to modern readers—who are of course also eager consumers of entertainment. In the first section, overview essays on horror during different historical periods situate works of horror literature within the social, cultural, historical, and intellectual currents of their respective eras, creating a seamless narrative of the genre's evolution from ancient times to the present. The second section demonstrates how otherwise unrelated works of horror have influenced each other, how horror subgenres have evolved, and how a broad range of topics within horror—such as ghosts, vampires, religion, and gender roles—have been handled across time. The set also provides alphabetically arranged reference entries on authors, works, and specialized topics that enable readers to zero in on information and concepts presented in the other sections.

The Celestial Library

The Celestial Library PDF Author: Prabhu TL
Publisher: NestFame Creations Pvt Ltd.
ISBN:
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description
In a world where the past is a powerful weapon and the future hangs in the balance, one library stands as humanity's greatest hope. Welcome to The Celestial Library: Guardians of Eternal Knowledge, an enthralling tale of courage, resilience, and the timeless battle for truth. Nestled within the bustling heart of a modern metropolis, the Grand Central Library is more than just a repository of books. It is the gateway to the Celestial Library, a vast and secret archive that houses the accumulated wisdom of countless civilizations, both known and forgotten. Within its labyrinthine corridors, ancient manuscripts, powerful artifacts, and prophecies foretelling the fate of humanity lie protected by a dedicated group of scholars, historians, and guardians of knowledge. At the center of this extraordinary tale is Eleanor, a brilliant and determined librarian whose life changes forever upon discovering a hidden manuscript that hints at the existence of the Vault of Time. This vault, rumored to contain the most profound and perilous knowledge about temporal manipulation, is the key to understanding the true nature of time and safeguarding it from those who would abuse its power. Eleanor's discovery sets her on a perilous journey, guided by cryptic prophecies and shadowed by the malevolent Shadow Council. This nefarious organization, skilled in the art of historical manipulation, seeks to rewrite history to serve its own dark agenda. Their operatives, known as the Erasers, have already begun to alter pivotal moments in history, threatening the very fabric of reality. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Eleanor teams up with Dr. Kendrick, an expert in ancient languages and symbols, and Sarah Blake, a fearless investigative journalist. Together, they delve into the secrets of the Vault of Time, uncover hidden chambers, decode ancient texts, and confront the Shadow Council in a series of intense and dangerous battles. As they race against time, Eleanor and her allies uncover a final prophecy that foretells a great confrontation between light and darkness. This prophecy reveals the existence of the Chrono-Severer, an artifact capable of erasing entire segments of history. Armed with the Arcadian amulet and the wisdom of the ages, Eleanor must lead her team in a desperate bid to disable the Chrono-Severer and restore the integrity of the timeline. Their journey takes them from the ancient city of Arcadia to the heart of the Grand Central Library, culminating in a fierce battle that will determine the future of humanity. Along the way, they face numerous challenges, including betrayal from within their ranks and the ethical dilemmas of wielding such immense power. The Celestial Library: Guardians of Eternal Knowledge is more than just a story of adventure and intrigue. It is a testament to the power of knowledge and the enduring importance of preserving history. Through the trials and triumphs of Eleanor and her allies, readers are reminded of the value of truth and the necessity of safeguarding it for future generations. Join Eleanor on an epic quest to protect the past and secure the future. In the Celestial Library, the light of knowledge never dims, and the fight for truth is eternal. This gripping and thought-provoking tale will captivate readers and leave them pondering the intricate dance between history, power, and the human spirit. Engage in a journey where the past, present, and future collide. Discover the secrets of the Celestial Library and the Guardians of Eternal Knowledge. Your adventure awaits.

The Unique Legacy of Weird Tales

The Unique Legacy of Weird Tales PDF Author: Justin Everett
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442256222
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
When the pulp magazine Weird Tales appeared on newsstands in 1923, it proved to be a pivotal moment in the evolution of speculative fiction. Living up to its nickname, “The Unique Magazine,” Weird Tales provided the first real venue for authors writing in the nascent genres of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Weird fiction pioneers such as H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, Catherine L. Moore, and many others honed their craft in the pages of Weird Tales in the 1920s and 1930s, and their work had a tremendous influence on later generations of genre authors. In The Unique Legacy of Weird Tales: The Evolution of Modern Fantasy and Horror, Justin Everett and Jeffrey Shanks have assembled an impressive collection of essays that explore many of the themes critical to understanding the importance of the magazine. This multi-disciplinary collection from a wide array of scholars looks at how Weird Tales served as a locus of genre formation and literary discourse community. There are also chapters devoted to individual authors—including Lovecraft, Howard, and Bloch—and their particular contributions to the magazine. As the literary world was undergoing a revolution and mass-produced media began to dwarf high-brow literature in social significance, Weird Tales managed to straddle both worlds. This collection of essays explores the important role the magazine played in expanding the literary landscape at a very particular time and place in American culture. The Unique Legacy of Weird Tales will appeal to scholars and aficionados of fantasy, horror, and weird fiction and those interested in the early roots of these popular genres.

Quest of the Starstone

Quest of the Starstone PDF Author: Catherine Lucile Moore
Publisher: eStar Books
ISBN: 1612104231
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 11

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Book Description
A mysterious warrior woman approaches Northwest Smith, with a tantalizing proposition, "Come with me to the green hills of earth in the distant past of 1500."excerptThe rivet-studded oaken door crashed open, splintering from the assault of pikebutts whose thunderous echoes still rolled around the walls of the tiny stone room revealed beyond the wreck of the shattered door. Jirel, the warrior-maid of Joiry, leaped in through the splintered ruins, dashing the red hair from her eyes, grinning with exertion, gripping her two-edged sword. But in the ruin of the door she paused. The mail-clad men at her heels surged around her in the doorway like a wave of blue-bright steel, and then paused too, staring.For Franga the warlock was kneeling in his chapel, and to see Franga on his knees was like watching the devil recite a paternoster. But it was no holy altar before which the wizard bent. The black stone of it bulked huge in this tiny, bare room echoing still with the thunder of battle, and in the split second between the door's fall and Jirel's crashing entry through its ruins Franga had crouched in a last desperate effort at-at what?His bony shoulders beneath their rich black robe heaved with frantic motion as he fingered the small jet bosses that girdled the altar's block. A slab in the side of it fell open abruptly as the wizard, realizing that his enemy was almost within sword's reach, whirled and crouched like a feral thing. Blazing light, cold and unearthly, streamed out from the gap in the altar."So that's where you've hidden it!" said Jirel with a savage softness.

Sisters of Tomorrow

Sisters of Tomorrow PDF Author: Lisa Yaszek
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
ISBN: 0819576255
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 423

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Book Description
Anthology of stories, essays, poems, and illustrations by the women of early science fiction For nearly half a century, feminist scholars, writers, and fans have successfully challenged the notion that science fiction is all about "boys and their toys," pointing to authors such as Mary Shelley, Clare Winger Harris, and Judith Merril as proof that women have always been part of the genre. Continuing this tradition, Sisters of Tomorrow: The First Women of Science Fiction offers readers a comprehensive selection of works by genre luminaries, including author C. L. Moore, artist Margaret Brundage, and others who were well known in their day, including poet Julia Boynton Green, science journalist L. Taylor Hansen, and editor Mary Gnaedinger. Providing insightful commentary and context, this anthology documents how women in the early twentieth century contributed to the pulp-magazine community and showcases the content they produced, including short stories, editorial work, illustrations, poetry, and science journalism. Yaszek and Sharp's critical annotation and author biographies link women's work in the early science fiction community to larger patterns of feminine literary and cultural production in turn-of-the-twentieth-century America. In a concluding essay, the award-winning author Kathleen Ann Goonan considers such work in relation to the history of women in science and engineering and to the contemporary science fiction community itself.

Becoming Ray Bradbury

Becoming Ray Bradbury PDF Author: Jonathan R. Eller
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 0252093356
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
Becoming Ray Bradbury chronicles the making of an iconic American writer by exploring Ray Bradbury's childhood and early years of his long life in fiction, film, television, radio, and theater. Jonathan R. Eller measures the impact of the authors, artists, illustrators, and filmmakers who stimulated Bradbury's imagination throughout his first three decades. Unprecedented access to Bradbury's personal papers and other private collections provides insight into his emerging talent through his unpublished correspondence, his rare but often insightful notes on writing, and his interactions with those who mentored him during those early years. Beginning with his childhood in Waukegan, Illinois, and Los Angeles, this biography follows Bradbury's development from avid reader to maturing author, making a living writing for the genre pulps and mainstream magazines. Eller illuminates the sources of Bradbury's growing interest in the human mind, the human condition, and the ambiguities of life and death--themes that became increasingly apparent in his early fiction. Bradbury's correspondence documents his frustrating encounters with the major trade publishing houses and his earliest unpublished reflections on the nature of authorship. Eller traces the sources of Bradbury's very conscious decisions, following the sudden success of The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man, to voice controversial political statements in his fiction. Eller also elucidates the complex creative motivations that yielded Fahrenheit 451. Becoming Ray Bradbury reveals Bradbury's emotional world as it matured through his explorations of cinema and art, his interactions with agents and editors, his reading discoveries, and the invaluable reading suggestions of older writers. These largely unexplored elements of his life pave the way to a deeper understanding of his more public achievements, providing a biography of the mind, the story of Bradbury's self-education and the emerging sense of authorship at the heart of his boundless creativity.

Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature

Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature PDF Author: Allen Stroud
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538166070
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 579

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Book Description
Fantasy is a genre in motion, gradually expanding its reach and historical sources to embrace a global identity Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature, Second Edition is a snapshot of the genre in this moment, identifying new themes and sources that are emerging to inspire, enhance and invigorate the published works of fantasy writers.

Black God's Kiss

Black God's Kiss PDF Author: C.L. Moore
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 1682301168
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
Meet “the first lady of sword-and-sorcery, Jirel of Joiry . . . in all her ferocious mailed glory and defiance” in these classic tales from a sci-fi pioneer (Tor.com). Originally published in the legendary magazine Weird Tales in 1934, C. L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry is fantasy’s first true strong female protagonist, as well as one of the most striking and memorable characters to come out of the golden age of science fiction and fantasy. Published alongside landmark stories by H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, the six classic stories included in this volume prove that C. L. Moore’s Jirel is a rival to Conan the Barbarian and Elric of Melniboné, making Black God’s Kiss an essential addition to any fantasy library. “I was looking for tales of dire conflict, hot-blooded honor and impetuosity, leadership and courage—all the qualities that my culture told me were reserved for males . . . what a joy it was to run across Jirel, who at some levels of my soul I longed desperately to be.” —Suzy McKee Charnas, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author

Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers

Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers PDF Author: Lee Server
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
ISBN: 1438109121
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
Provides an introduction to American pulp fiction during the twentieth century with brief author biographies and lists of their works.

Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns

Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns PDF Author: Paul Green
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476662576
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
From automatons to zombies, many elements of fantasy and science fiction have been cross-pollinated with the Western movie genre. In its second edition, this encyclopedia of the Weird Western includes many new entries covering film, television, animation, novels, pulp fiction, short stories, comic books, graphic novels and video and role-playing games. Categories include Weird, Weird Menace, Science Fiction, Space, Steampunk and Romance Westerns.