By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
What are the best short stories about painters, artists, and the world of art? From Gothic pioneers like Edgar Allan Poe to realist writers like Edith Wharton, masters of the short story have often touched upon the subject of art and painting, using the short story form to explore not only the world of great art but also other themes, including desire, love, and death.
By Claire Nally
A new exhibition on Steampunk and Neo-Victorian culture opens in November – entitled Fabricating Histories, it explores the ways in which we can think about, and challenge, the legacy of history. Dr Claire Nally, co-curator of the exhibition at the Discovery Museum (Tyne & Wears Archives and Museums) in Newcastle, explains what steampunk is, and why it might be important…
John Clute’s book Pardon This Intrusion: Fantastika in the World Storm (2011), defines the term ‘fantastika’ and is a useful stating point to approach steampunk, as ‘fantastika’ refers to the non-mimetic, and offers an articulation of alternative reality in fiction. Clute maintains ‘fantastika’ is marked by the visibility of ‘the engine of history, round about 1800, when the future began’ (p. 3). Like much Neo-Victorian fiction generally, fantastika is marked by self-conscious storytelling. In common with this, steampunk flags up its anachronism and fictionality. As such, the increased visibility of steampunk which has exploded in recent years has presented us with an interesting development in the genre of fantastic literature.
Here are five of William Blake’s greatest paintings related to books – whether because the illustrations accompanied Blake’s prophetic books or other literary work (such as his poems) or because they actually feature books in a more literal sense. 1. Urizen with his book. In Blake’s own mythology, Urizen (the name is possibly derived from ‘your reason’) … Read more
By Kimberly Robinson, The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith The rise of the asylum is shrouded in mystery and uncertainty, and, in the absence of facts, the Romantics obsessed over wrongful institutionalization, but the bureaucracy that handled the treatment of the insane is more tangible than most people might expect. Culturally speaking, the Romantics … Read more