They say curiosity killed the cat, but if you ask me, it merely got the cat thoroughly spooked and left it clinging to the curtains like a caffeinated spider. Such is the effect Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black has on a reader: you pick it up thinking you’re in for a quaint little ghost … Continue reading Haunted, Harrassed, and Hard-Done-By: Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black
Tag: horror
Whistles, Rhymes, and Ghosts – Oh My! M. R. James’ Guide to Summoning Ancient Horrors with Nursery Tunes
When I think of M. R. James, it’s like I’ve accidentally stumbled into a foggy, overgrown cemetery on Halloween night, while wearing the world’s most embarrassing costume and holding a mysterious old book I definitely shouldn’t be holding. His stories - oh, the stories! - are like that one weird uncle who insists on showing … Continue reading Whistles, Rhymes, and Ghosts – Oh My! M. R. James’ Guide to Summoning Ancient Horrors with Nursery Tunes
Thrawn Janet by Robert Louis Stevenson: A Masterpiece Buried Beneath a Mound of Linguistic Muck
Reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s Thrawn Janet is rather like stumbling across a hidden bottle of whisky in a dusty old kirk - an unexpected pleasure, provided you can stomach the cobwebs and the dead rats floating inside. The story itself, once you prise it out from beneath the dreadful mound of vernacular rubble, is a … Continue reading Thrawn Janet by Robert Louis Stevenson: A Masterpiece Buried Beneath a Mound of Linguistic Muck
Through Hell and High Water: A Wanderer’s Musings on Dante’s Inferno
I have long been of the opinion that if one is to take a trip, one ought to choose the destination with care. A sojourn in Tuscany, perhaps; a jaunt through the Alps; or, at the very least, an unhurried ramble through the English countryside, where the only fiery pits one encounters are the embers … Continue reading Through Hell and High Water: A Wanderer’s Musings on Dante’s Inferno
From the Sublime to the Grotesque: The Betrayal of Beauty in Modern Art
Art once aimed to uplift, inspire, and connect us to something greater - be it the divine, the sublime, or the essence of human experience. It was meant to elevate the soul, to provoke thought, to stir emotion, and to offer a glimpse of transcendence. From the soaring spires of Gothic cathedrals to the sublime … Continue reading From the Sublime to the Grotesque: The Betrayal of Beauty in Modern Art
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