Over the past century or more, the genres of fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction have increasingly expanded beyond literature and into an array of media--film, television, comic books, and art. Many of the leading figures in the field engage in multimedia enterprises that allow their work to reach a much wider public than the mere readers of books.
In Disorders of Magnitude: A Survey of Dark Fantasy, Jason V Brock analyzes the intersection of literature, media, and genre fiction in essays, reviews, and pioneering interviews. Beginning with the pulp magazines of the 1920s, Brock studies such dynamic figures as H. P. Lovecraft, Forrest J Ackerman, Harlan Ellison, and the Southern California writers known collectively as "The Group"--Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Rod Serling, and William F. Nolan. This collection also includes filmmakers Roger Corman, George Romero, and Dan O'Bannon, and such fantasy artists as H. R. Giger.
Graced with dozens of photographs from the author's personal collection, this wide-ranging study offers a kaleidoscopic look at the multifarious ways in which fantasy, horror, and the supernatural have permeated our culture. Brock--himself a fiction writer, critic, and filmmaker--concludes the book with touching eulogies to the recently deceased Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen. Highlighting so many figures essential to the understanding of fantasy and horror, Disorders of Magnitude will appeal to fans of these fiction genres around the world.
Table of Contents:
- xi - Preface: Disorders of Magnitude - essay by Jason V Brock
- 1 - Part One: The Darkest Part - essay by Jason V Brock
- 5 - The Smoldering Past: The Creation of the Modern from Frankenstein and Dracula to the Great War and Beyond - (2014) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 9 - "Cosmic Introspection": Lovecraft's Attainment of Personal Value by Way of Infinite Insignificance - (2011) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 17 - Forrest J Ackerman: Fan Zero - (2013) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 31 - Gathering Darkness: In Appreciation of Weird Tales - (2010) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 34 - Frank M. Robinson: First Fandom and Beyond - (2010) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 37 - Part Two: Things Become - essay by Jason V Brock
- 39 - The Burden of Now: Welles's "Panic Broadcast," World War II, and Creeping Anomie - essay by Jason V Brock
- 41 - Ray Bradbury: The Boy Who Never Grew Up - (2009) - interview of Ray Bradbury - interview by Jason V Brock
- 50 - Cinematic Dream Logic: How Movies Permanently Altered the Fabric of Reality - essay by Jason V Brock
- 55 - Individual Sexual Liberation Becomes Social Emancipation: Playboy Changes the World - essay by Jason V Brock
- 58 - Harlan Ellison: L'enfant terrible (sort of) - interview of Harlan Ellison - interview by Jason V Brock
- 65 - Part Three: The Rise of the Speculative Mind - essay by Jason V Brock
- 67 - Rod Serling: Articulating the American Nightmare - (2010) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 69 - A Howling at Owl Creek Bridge: Observations on Two Important Twilight Zone Episodes - (2009) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 72 - George Clayton Johnson: A Touch of Strange - (2009) - interview of George Clayton Johnson - interview by Jason V Brock
- 80 - L'Age d'Or to Gotterdammerung: How Bradbury, Serling, Beaumont, and "The Group" Shaped a Pop Future - (2009) - essay by Jason V Brock (variant of From L'Age d'Or to Gotterdammerung: How Bradbury, Serling, Beaumont and 'The Group' Shaped a Pop Future)
- 95 - Roger Corman: Socially Conscious Auteur - interview of Roger Corman - interview by Jason V Brock
- 101 - Finding Sanctuary: Running from the Zone to Logan - (2014) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 110 - The Long Nuclear Shadow: Atomic Horror, Godzilla, and the Cold War - essay by Jason V Brock
- 113 - The Horror of It All! EC and the Beginnings of Modern Media HOOHAH! - (2010) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 123 - MADly Yours, Al Feldstein - (2010) - interview of Al Feldstein - interview by Jason V Brock
- 128 - An End, a Middle, a Beginning: Richard Matheson and His Impact - (2013) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 131 - What Dreams May Come: A Discussion with Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan - (2013) - interview of Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan - interview by Jason V Brock
- 151 - Part Four: Slashers, Blockbusters, and Best Sellers - essay by Jason V Brock
- 153 - Riding the Dark Wave: The Role of Dystopian Science Fiction in Popular Culture - (2010) - essay by Jason V Brock (variant of Riding the Dark Wave: The Role of Dark Sci-Fi in Popular Culture)
- 158 - Celluloid Asylum: O'Bannon, Romero, Carpenter, and the Liberals Lose (and Find) Their Collective Minds - essay by Jason V Brock
- 161 - Terrible Beauty: Slasher Film Connections to Conservatism, Pornography, and Misogyny - (2011) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 165 - King of the Dead: Filmmaker George A. Romero on Politics, Film, and the Future - (2012) - interview of George A. Romero - interview by Jason V Brock
- 177 - Dan O'Bannon: Not Gone, Not Forgotten - (2009) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 183 - H. R. Giger: A Darkness Faster Than Light - (2009) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 188 - The Emperor's New Book: How Stephen King Saved Horror, Create Clive Barker (and Sam Raimi) ... and Killed Publishing - essay by Jason V Brock
- 190 - The Doctor Is In: A Discussion with F. Paul Wilson - (2011) - interview of F. Paul Wilson - interview by Jason V Brock and James R. Beach [as by Jason V Brock and James Beach]
- 198 - Sounds Horrific: Art Rock, Soundtracks, and the Zeitgeist - essay by Jason V Brock
- 201 - Part Five: A Century of Speculation - essay by Jason V Brock
- 203 - Review: Carnivora: The Dark Art of Automobiles by Les Barany - (2011) - review by Jason V Brock
- 205 - David J. Skal: Monster Kid Ambassador of Horror - interview of David J. Skal - interview by Jason V Brock
- 213 - Review: Blood Will Have Its Season by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. - (2010) - review by Jason V Brock
- 215 - Kris Kuksi: Dark Horizons in the Realm of the Senses - (2009) - interview of Kris Kuksi - interview by Jason V Brock
- 220 - Bluewater Comics' Darren G. Davis: On the Run in the Digital Age of Comics - (2010) - interview of Darren G. Davis - interview by Jason V Brock
- 225 - The H. P Lovecraft Film Festival: Cosmic Chaos on the Silver Screen - (2009) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 228 - S. T. Joshi: Champion of the Weird Tale - (2009) - interview of S. T. Joshi - interview by Jason V Brock
- 231 - Marc Scott Zicree: As Timeless as Infinity - interview of Marc Scott Zicree - interview by Jason V Brock
- 239 - Part Six: From (and Into) the Beyond - essay by Jason V Brock
- 241 - Fangoria's Chris Alexander: Cinephilia, Music, and All the Rest of It - (2011) - interview of Chris Alexander - interview by Jason V Brock
- 247 - Bruce Campbell: From The Evil Dead to Burn Notice and Beyond - (2011) - interview of Bruce Campbell - interview by Jason V Brock
- 252 - The Inner World of William F. Nolan - (2013) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 260 - Review: The Mammoth Book of Body Horror by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan - (2012) - review by Jason V Brock
- 262 - Two of a Kind: Lee-Anne Raymond and Demetrios Vakras - (2012) - interview of Lee-Anne Raymond and Demetrios Vakras - interview by Jason V Brock
- 273 - "Cthulhu, a Vampire, and a Zombie Walk into a Bar ...": Why These Themes, Why Now, and What's the Matter with Hollyweird? - essay by Jason V Brock
- 276 - John Shirley: The Tao of Identity - (2010) - interview of John Shirley - interview by Jason V Brock
- 284 - Ray Harryhausen: A Note on the Passage of Giants - (2013) - essay by Jason V Brock
- 288 - Kneeling at the Dandelion Shrine: An Appreciation - (2013) - essay by Jason V Brock (variant of Kneeling at the Dandelion Shrine 2012)
- 290 - William F. Nolan and Ray Bradbury: Reflections - (2013) - interview of Ray Bradbury and William F. Nolan - interview by Jason V Brock
- 294 - Introduction: The Pope of Speculative Fiction (Nolan on Bradbury) - (2013) - essay by Jason V Brock (variant of Introduction (Nolan on Bradbury))
- 295 - Future Shock? (De)Parting Thoughts - essay by Jason V Brock
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