Ramsey Campbell: Critical Essays on the Modern Master of Horror

by Gary William Crawford (Editor)

Overview

As the author of more than two dozen novels and hundreds of short stories, as well as essays, reviews, and columns, Ramsey Campbell is one of the most prolific writers in the field of horror literature. The consistently high level of quality in his work has resulted in every major award that weird fiction has to offer, including the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association, and the Living Legend Award of the International Horror Guild. Strangely, though, relatively little criticism has been written about Campbell.

In Ramsey Campbell: Critical Essays on the Modern Master of Horror, Gary William Crawford has assembled a collection of articles that examine the work of one of weird fiction’s most revered writers. These essays looks at a number of elements that characterize Campbell’s stories and novels, including comparisons to H.P. Lovecraft, who was an early inspiration; Campbell’s modern variations of Gothic fiction; his concept of evil; religious subtext in his fiction; and how adversities Campbell has faced have shaped his life and his work.

In all, these essays pay homage to Campbell’s painstaking craftsmanship and show that there is much to be mined in his fiction. Because Campbell is so important in the genre of horror literature, this book serves as a much needed affirmation of his work. It will be of interest to scholars of supernatural fiction in general, but also to devoted fans of this major figure in weird fiction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810892989
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/05/2013
Series:	Studies in Supernatural Literature
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	204
File size:	499 KB

About the Author

Gary William Crawfordhas edited the journal Gothic (1979–1987), the horror poetry magazine Night Songs (1991–1997), and the online journal Le Fanu Studies. The author of books on Ramsey Campbell (1988) and Robert Aickman (2003) and a bibliography of J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1995), Crawford is also the founder and editor of Gothic Press.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 "That Ill-Rumoured and Evilly-Shadowed Seaport": Ramsey Campbell's Lovecraftian Secret Histories of Liverpool Andy Sawyer 1

2 "A Puppet's Parody of Joy": Dolls, Puppets, and Mannikins as Diabolical Other in Ramsey Campbell Leigh Blackmore 23

3 Ramsey Campbell and the Twenty-First-Century Weird Tale Richard Bleiler 47

4 An Archaeology of Urban Dread: The Short Fiction of Ramsey Campbell James Goho 55

5 Glimpses of Absolute Power: Ramsey Campbell's Concept of Evil Simon MacCulloch 91

6 Master and Pupil: August Derleth and Ramsey Campbell's First Book S. T. Joshi 101

7 Mastering Darkness: An Interview with Ramsey Campbell Stefan Dziemianowicz 113

8 Grinning in the Dark: The Humor of Ramsey Campbell John Llewellyn Probert 147

9 A Local Afterlife Joel Lane 155

10 What Develops in the Darkest Rooms of the Mind: The Photographic Technique in Nazareth Hill and The Seven Days of Cain Anthony J. Fonseca 159

11 A Religion of His Own Making: Peter in Obsession Gary William Crawford 171

Selected Bibliography 179

Index 183

About the Editor 191

About the Contributors 193