Research Catalog
More things than are dreamt of : masterpieces of supernatural horror, from Mary Shelley to Stephen King, in literature and film
- Title
- More things than are dreamt of : masterpieces of supernatural horror, from Mary Shelley to Stephen King, in literature and film / James Ursini and Alain Silver ; preface by William Peter Blatty.
- Author
- Ursini, James.
- Publication
- New York : Limelight Editions, 1994.
Items in the Library & Off-site
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Use in library | PN1995.9.H6 S54 1994 | Off-site |
Details
- Additional Authors
- Silver, Alain, 1947-
- Description
- xii, 226 pages : illustrations; 25 cm
- Summary
- For centuries, perhaps from the beginning of time, people young and old have been drawn to the genre of supernatural horror, first on the printed page and then on the screen. From fairy tales to Freddy Krueger, the appeal of the genre rests on the all too human search for something above nature, something unknown and unnameable. This search has produced works as memorable as they are terrifying, and we feel their power once again in More Things Than Are Dreamt Of.
- The sweep of the book encompasses almost two centuries as it reconsiders in detail such classics of literature as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
- Hyde, Henry James' The Turn of the Screw and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, right up to such contemporary novels of horror as Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist and Stephen King's The Dead Zone. But what sets this book apart is that the authors go on to study the most significant feature films derived from these and many other works of fiction, from the silent era until today.
- Theme, plot, characters and place, the primary elements of the novels and stories, are considered first as originally conceived and then again as they achieve a new and often different life on the screen. Explaining the why and the how of these acts of transformation is the great accomplishment of More Things Than Are Dreamt Of, a book that enhances our understanding of both literature and film.
- And of course all the while it helps us to experience again those agreeable shudders and chills that come from beyond our dreams.
- Subjects
- Genre/Form
- Television adaptations
- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
- Film adaptations
- Bibliography (note)
- Filmography: p. 169-205.
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-210) and index.
- Contents
- Ch. 1. The Prometheans. I. The Haunted Summer: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. II. The Other Bram Stoker -- Ch. 2. Colonial Horror. I. Descent into the Maelstrom: Edgar Allan Poe. II. The Dream Quest: H.P. Lovecraft -- Ch. 3. The Pre-Moderns. I. The Scientific: Robert Louis Stevenson. II. The Cynic: Oscar Wilde. III. The Mystic: Arthur Machen -- Ch. 4. The Two Jameses. I. Demons: Casting the Runes. II. Ghosts: The Turn of the Screw -- Ch. 5. Selected Modern Classics. I. Witches: Conjure Wife, Fritz Leiber. II. Spirits: The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson. III. Devils: "The Devil and Daniel Webster," Stephen Vincent Benet; Rosemary's Baby, Ira Levin; The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty. IV. Visionaries: The Dead Zone, Stephen King.
- ISBN
- 0879101776
- 9780879101770
- LCCN
- 94001655
- OCLC
- ocm29844496
- 29844496
- SCSB-2081940
- Owning Institutions
- Princeton University Library