Femicidal Fears In Contemporary Fiction

In Femicidal Fears, Helene Meyers examines contemporary femicidal plots—plots in which women are killed or fear for their lives—to argue that these female Gothic novels of death actually bring the nuances of feminist thought to life. Through her examination of works by Angela Carter, Muriel Spark, Edna O'Brien, Beryl Bainbridge, Joyce Carol Oates, and Margaret Atwood, as well as such infamous cases as the Montreal Massacre and the Yorkshire Ripper, Meyers contends that these femicidal plots restage and embody feminist debates flattened by such glib and automatic phrases as "essentialism" and "victim feminism." Bringing the Gothic and the quotidian together in discussions of heterosexual romance, the sadomasochistic couple, female paranoia, postfeminism, and images of the female body, the book affirms that refusing victimization may not be a simple story, but it is nevertheless one worth telling.

Argues that contemporary female Gothic novels of death can, in fact, breathe new life into feminist debates about victimization, essentialism, agency, and the body.

Authors Shannon Hengen and Ashley Thomson have assembled a reference guide that covers all of the works written by the acclaimed Canadian author Margaret Atwood since 1988, including her novels Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, and the 2000 Booker Prize winner, The Blind Assassin. Rather than just including Atwood's books, this guide includes all of Atwood's works, including articles, short stories, letters, and individual poetry. Adaptations of Atwood's works are also included, as are some of her more public quotations. Secondary entries (i.e. interviews, scholarly resources, and reviews) are first sorted by type, and then arranged alphabetically by author, to allow greater ease of navigation. The individual chapters are organized chronologically, with each subdivided into seven categories: Atwood's Works, Adaptations, Quotations, Interviews, Scholarly Resources, Reviews of Atwood's Works, and Reviews of Adaptations of Atwood's Works. The book also includes a chapter entitled 'Atwood on the Web,' as well as extensive author and subject indexes. This new bibliography significantly enhances access to Atwood material, a feature that will be welcomed by university, public, and school librarians. Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide 1988-2005 will appeal not only to Atwood scholars, but to students and fans of one of Canada's greatest writers.

This book maps the most active and vibrant period in the history of British women's writing. Examining changes and continuities in fiction, poetry, drama, and journalism, as well as women's engagement with a range of literary and popular genres, the essays in this volume highlight the range and diversity of women's writing since 1970.

This unique and timely book presents nine compelling essays on contemporary crime fiction, bringing innovative and fresh perspectives to the analysis of this most popular and vibrant literary genre. Investigating contemporary crime fiction and the critical debates surrounding its reception and production, the introductory chapter sets the scene for the subsequent analyses of distinct crime fiction topics, themes and authors. The topics include the experimental detective narrative, race and ethnicity, historical crime fiction, domestic noir, feminism and crime, environmental crime, and the poetics of place. Authors examined here range from Ian Rankin, Gillian Flynn, Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Robert Galbraith, Nancy Bilyeau, and Martha Grimes, to Tana French, Dale Furutani, and J.G. Ballard, and more. Informed by the latest critical debates and theoretical perspectives in the field, this volume presents an invaluable source of information and criticism on crime fiction for students, researchers and academics alike.

The Gothic began as a designation for barbarian tribes, was associated with the cathedrals of the High Middle Ages, was used to describe a marginalized literature in the late eighteenth century, and continues today in a variety of forms (literature, film, graphic novel, video games, and other narrative and artistic forms). Unlike other recent books in the field that focus on certain aspects of the Gothic, this work directs researchers to seminal and significant resources on all of its aspects. Annotations will help researchers determine what materials best suit their needs. A Research Guide to Gothic Literature in English covers Gothic cultural artifacts such as literature, film, graphic novels, and videogames. This authoritative guide equips researchers with valuable recent information about noteworthy resources that they can use to study the Gothic effectively and thoroughly.