Praeger Seven Masters of Supernatural Fiction: 46 (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction & Fantasy)

Product Description An unusual grouping of mainly British writers, this insightful study includes some, like Henry James, who are indisputably leaders of the canon regardless of genre, and others, like Algernon Blackwood, who wrote almost exclusively in the supernatural; all, however, were clearly masters of this genre. The author, Edward Wagenknecht, writes from a long lifetime of scholarly study and publishing, thoroughly internalized familiarity with all of the exemplary works chosen for examination, and personal friendship fostered by extensive epistolary intercourse with two of the subjects, Walter de la Mare and Marjorie Bowen. The seven chapters on the individual writers each examine plot, character, mood, and setting in a traditional sense, sparked by personal observations and unique comparisons. Each study is preceded by a biographical sketch and documented by comprehensive bibliography and notes. In the case of the less studied writers, like M. R. James and Arthur Machen, these chapters may be the fullest accounts ever published. For all, Wagenknecht combines a fan's appreciation with a scholar's insights to produce an important and enjoyable book. Review ?It is a gentleman's book, graceful and very clear about literary values and guests that we have inherited from the last century and that through amateur work and through some serious scholarship still survive.?-Extrapolation "It is a gentleman's book, graceful and very clear about literary values and guests that we have inherited from the last century and that through amateur work and through some serious scholarship still survive."-Extrapolation About the Author EDWARD WAGENKNECHT is Professor of English Emeritus, Boston University. He has published more than 70 books and edited collections between 1927 and 1990, including several on the supernatural and is currently working on a study of Willa Cather.