Category: Topics

The Nightmare before Hogswatch

The very oldest stories are, sooner or later, about blood.1 A guest post by Clair Hutchings-Budd. In recognition of the spooky season, and looking ahead to winter festivities, in this blog post I’ll be talking about Tim Burton’s 1993 stop-frame animation musical fantasy film The Nightmare Before Christmas (Nightmare) and Terry Pratchett’s 1996 novel Hogfather. … Continue reading The Nightmare before Hogswatch →

Gothic Wilderness, or how the wild things creep up on you

Sheffield Gothic co-president, Sophie Haywood, introduces the theme of this term's reading groups and events: Gothic Wilderness. We often think of the wilderness as separate. It is a place outside of the civilised, somewhere to visit when we want to experience nature in its wilder form. But are these two spheres so separate? Where does … Continue reading Gothic Wilderness, or how the wild things creep up on you →

Book Review: Secrets of the Vampire: A Supernatural Sourcebook of Our Legend and Lore (2023)

Charlotte Harper reviews Secrets of the Vampire, a new companion to a classic Gothic monster, written by Julie Légère and Elsa Whyte and illustrated by Laura Pérez. Deliciously detailed and darkly witty, Julie Legere and Elsa Whyte track through the world history of humanity’s darkest shadow in Secrets of the Vampire. The facts are relayed … Continue reading Book Review: Secrets of the Vampire: A Supernatural Sourcebook of Our Legend and Lore (2023) →

Reading Group: Vampire Boyfriends

Sheffield Gothic is very excited to welcome you to our next reading group on vampire boyfriends and the Gothic imaginary. This reading group follows on from Sophie Haywood's Valentine's Day blog, which looked at the rise of vampires as romantic heroes in the modern day. We'll be meeting online at 3–4.30pm on Wednesday 20th April … Continue reading Reading Group: Vampire Boyfriends →

‘Til Death Do Us Part’: Teenage Girls and their Vampire Boyfriends

Our Holiday Gothic series takes a look at the darker sides of celebrations throughout the year. In this Valentine's Day post, Sophie Haywood investigates the recent trend of vampires as YA romantic heroes. The vampire has long been a key figure in Gothic fiction, but its transformation into romantic hero is a fairly recent phenomenon. … Continue reading ‘Til Death Do Us Part’: Teenage Girls and their Vampire Boyfriends →