film – Interesting Literature

Frankenstein Through the Years: An Established Mythology

Spencer Blohm examines the history of screen adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

For nearly two hundred years the archetype of the ‘mad scientist‘ has been dominated by a single name: Dr. Victor Frankenstein. When Mary Shelley wrote and published her groundbreaking novel in 1818, there’s no way she could have known that her scientist and his creation would come to symbolize so much of the human condition and would be reimagined and reinvented countless times. Soon, what is sometimes referred to as the first science fiction novel, will once again be told on the big screen, this time in Victor Frankenstein.

Five Fascinating Facts about Christopher Lee

Interesting facts about Sir Christopher Lee and his fascinating connections to famous writers

Last week we lost one of Britain’s most talented actors, Sir Christopher Lee (1922-2015). Lee was a fascinating man and a gifted actor who, it has frequently been said, had the rare ability to give a good performance even in an otherwise bad film. But there are many surprising literary facts about Christopher Lee, so this is what we, by way of tribute to him, would like to focus on in this post. So without more ado, here are our five great literature-related facts about Christopher Lee.

Hollywood Beckons Again for Bradbury: Adaptations of Ray Bradbury’s Work

By Spencer Blohm

Chances are, whether you realize it or not, you’ve heard of Ray Bradbury. Not only a prolific writer of science fiction, fantasy, and children’s novels, Bradbury wrote stories that were adapted into comic books, stage plays, television episodes, and movies. One of the most recent adaptations – a recently debuted ABC series The Whispers (based on the Bradbury short story “Zero Hour” and executive produced by Steven Spielberg) – is just the latest in a long line of work that has made the jump from page to screen. Before you decide to catch The Whispers pilot episode (which debuted last week and is easily watchable on ABC Go or DTV) there are other Bradbury adaptations you might want to check out first. Given Bradbury’s long and storied history with Hollywood, it’s no wonder that creative types keep looking to his work for inspiration.

Classic Footage of Famous Writers – Mark Twain and Leo Tolstoy

Did you know Mark Twain and Count Leo Tolstoy were captured on film? Although they’re associated with the nineteenth century, both writers lived until 1910 and would be filmed in their final years when the technology was still in its infancy. (Mark Twain, who had been born two weeks after Halley’s Comet appeared in 1835, died … Read more

Guest Blog: Revamped – How the Twenty-First Century Vampire Is Redefining Masculinity

By Tracy L. Bealer, Colorado State University Power, good looks, and a preoccupation with penetration. These qualities unexpectedly describe both privileged masculinity and vampires. With their preternatural strength, lethal attractiveness, and penetrative fangs, the figure of the vampire has long been understood, by Nina Auerbach and others, as a literary and cinematic representative of the … Read more