'Dark ingredients' : M. R. James and Gothic Bloodlines at Aberdeen

'Dark ingredients' : M. R. James and Gothic Bloodlines at Aberdeen
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This is a past event

Aberdeen University Library is rich in Gothic literature, from classics by Clara Reeve and Mary Shelley to M. R. James's celebrated ghost stories. This illustrated lecture examines how this came to be so, alongside consideration as to what 'Gothic' actually means, before discussing one of the best-known of James's spine-chillers.

This illustrated talk begins with an outline of the history and characteristics of ‘the Gothic’ – a highly complex term in both historiography and literature. The strong presence of Gothic writing in Aberdeen University Library’s holdings is then discussed, from The Old English Baron to Frankenstein, Northanger Abbey and Melmoth the Wanderer, alongside the prodigious output of Lane and Newman’s Minerva Press. Finally, the lecture will focus on the ghost stories of M. R. James, in particular a detailed reading of one of his best-known tales, “Oh Whistle, And I’ll Come To You, My Lad”. The story is seen to encapsulate in short-story form the richness of Gothic and the tensions of the period in which it was written, and it is suggested that the story conveys far more about fear than the author himself may have intended.

 

Part of the Book Week Scotland 2016 celebrations

Speaker
Keith M C O'Sullivan, Senior Rare Books Librarian at the University of Aberdeen
Hosted by
Special Collections Centre
Venue
The Sir Duncan Rice Library
Contact

Entry to the talk is FREE, but booking is strongly advised. Please contact scc.events@abdn.ac.uk