Perils of writing at home!
05.06.2025 23:01
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Perils of writing at home!
The trump regime is so incredibly petty & desperate to control the flow of knowledge that the very soul of our country is in jeopardy. Their actions against Harvard are so childish & punitive that they make them look weak & pathetic. They are frightened of those who don't share their bigoted views.
They are just brilliant. They were my first experience with the Gothic at university. There is a full set on Abebooks for $1350 that I would love to have someday, but for now, interlibrary loan is the best!
Arno Press?
A new day when the truth is considered a 'hostile and political act'. The David Bowie song 'This is not America' from The Falcon and the Snowman springs to mind.
I hate being in a country that is 'governed' by bullies. From the rumpled old orange man to those carrying out their horrible orders, they are just horrible, horrible people who have no empathy or morals. UGH!
Fuck trump and everything that he stands for! Horrible, horrible person.
I'm giving up Jane Austen for Lent.
The 'president felon' and his side prick are an absolute embarrassment to the country. I am ashamed to reside in the same space as these bullies.
I just bought the 4th volume of The Tell Tale or Universal Museum (1804) published by Ann Lemoine with at least 2 tales by Sarah Wilkinson! There is something so wonderful about Gothic chapbooks that it helps me escape from the current nightmare that is frump.
I know it doesn't mean much to other people, but I finally found evidence that Gothic novelist Sarah Wilkinson, was a bookseller as well as a teacher! I know it is a small detail, but it does shed light on an author who knew exactly what her readers desired and expected in a novel (& chapbook).
In Laguna Beach with the family. A nice break with lovely people!
To be honest, I'm burnt out. There is too much political and academic uncertainty, & I incessantly worry about what next year will bring. To recover & recharge, I'm spending time with my family, immersing myself in research & avoiding the news. For me, this frontispiece is a glimpse of the future.
Today is Gothic novelist & bluebook author Sarah Wilkinson's 245th birthday. She lived by the pen, taught school, battled breast cancer, & died in a workhouse at the age of 52. We should make more of an effort to read those authors who never achieved the success of a Charlotte Smith or Jane Austen.
I still need to visit NYPL. There are so many good titles I still need to examine. Soon!
The Sadleir Black collection at the University of Virginia is the largest Gothic archive in the US. There are an amazing number of chapbooks, which is well worth a trip. I've spent many happy hours going over those chapbooks, and it is thrilling every single time.
We adopted Harry last week. In part, it was due to his name. We are Potters, after all. He is a polydactyl with 24 digits, 7 on each front paw, and 5 on each rear paw. It takes some getting used to, but he's a keeper.
So sorry, Dale! Sending positive thoughts to you.
This is incredible, 'fat' cattle feeder dresses up ghost and frightens someone so bad they're crushed to death. (c.1792)
The frontispiece from Sarah Wilkinson's The Chateau de Montville published 1 June 1803 by Thomas Hughes. The caption "There lies your father Unhappy Girl" is found on page 15. Note the enlarged skeleton and chain for effect. Wonderful isn't it!
Academic baking. Anyone else like to bake cakes associated with their research? My Bleeding Nun cake, complete with raspberry compote that dripped like blood when cut. I know I'm not the only one, right?
I lectured on Gothic chapbooks and Sarah Wilkinson today. For me, it's the highlight of my Gothic course. I try to remind my students that for every Ann Radcliffe or Jane Austen, there were dozens of struggling female authors who wrote to survive and ultimately perished by the pen.
An interesting abridgment of St. Clair of the Isles (1803) by Elizabeth Helme. William Mason published a number of Gothic chapbooks like this based on popular novels.
The frontispiece and title page of Oswick, The Bold Outlaw, a Gothic chapbook published by Thomas Hughes in 1806. It's one of the few frontispieces I've seen where the subject confronts the viewer 'standing over the mangled body' of his victim.
I'm hoping to find a good community on this site. If you are interested in Gothic literary history, Gothic chapbooks & illustrations (frontispiece of The Vampire or the Bride of the Isles, c1820), Gothic bibliography, Gothic publishing history, & the Gothic writer Sarah Wilkinson, let's connect.
I'm hesitant to leave Twitter as well for the same reason. Bsky makes it so difficult to search for people, I get frustrated. Hopefully, something new, progressive, and academic emerges soon.
Trying to spend less time on Musk's echo box, and hoping that a load of Gothic scholars are already here. I'm bringing the Bleeding Nun with me.
I've been researching and writing about Gothic chapbooks and their illustrations for while now, but they never cease to amaze me.
Thank you! It does seem to be growing right now.