Clive Barker's Short Stories : Imagination as Metaphor in the Books of Blood and Other Works

Hoppenstand, Gary

McFarland & Co Inc（2013/12発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 231 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780786493555
• DDC分類 823.914

Full Description

Unlike many horror fiction and fantasy writers, Clive Barker is true to the literary heritage of the genre. Though aware of the importance of entertainment in his writing, he embraces the traditional formulas of horror fiction and builds upon them, all the while alluding to the works of Dante, Poe, Mary Shelley, and others.

The complexity of Barker's writing is best evidenced in the six volume Books of Blood. Many of these short stories are entertaining "hair raisers," yet they do not revel in gratuitous violence, instead relying on style and a masterful sense of language to entertain. This detailed study analyzes the significant themes in Barker's writing, placing him in the British Gothic tradition of Marlowe, Saki and others.

Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword: Regarding Imagination as Metaphor by Olive Barker

Introduction: Exiting Banality: A Personal Journey

1. Text and Subtext: Olive Barker and the State of Horror

2. Highways of the Dead: Olive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume One

3. New Murders, Ancient Evils: Olive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Two

4. Confessions of a Dark Fancy: Olive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Three

5. Sexual and Political Puzzles: Olive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Four

6. Mother's Fine Children: Olive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Five

7. Twilight and Other Illusions: Olive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Six

8. Embracing Imagination: Uncollected Short Fiction and Final Comments

Works Cited

Selected Bibliography

Index 217