McFarland and Company McFarland and Company i(A59311 works by) (Organisation) assertion
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1 y separately published work icon Terror Down Under : A History of Horror Film in Australia, 1897-1973 Daniel Best , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2023 27647959 2023 multi chapter work criticism
1 1 y separately published work icon Cyclone Country : The Language of Place and Disaster in Australian Literature Chrystopher Spicer , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2020 22890278 2020 multi chapter work criticism

'The storm has become a universal trope in the literature of crisis, revelation and transformation. It can function as a trope of place, of apocalypse and epiphany, of cultural mythos and story, and of people and spirituality.

'This book explores the connections between people, place and environment through the image of cyclones within fiction and poetry from the Australian state of Queensland, the northern coast of which is characterized by these devastating storms. Analyzing a range of works including Alexis Wright's Carpentaria, Patrick White's The Eye of the Storm, and Vance Palmer's Cyclone it explains the cyclone in the Queensland literary imagination as an example of a cultural response to weather in a unique regional place. It also situates the cyclones that appear in Queensland literature within the broader global context of literary cyclones.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon The Global Vampire : Essays on the Undead in Popular Culture Around the World Cait Coker (editor), Donald E. Palumbo (editor), C.W. Sullivan III (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2019 18773485 2019 anthology criticism

'The figure of the vampire is a truly global phenomenon, with popular interpretations appearing in Europe and Asia that are distinct from any versions found in the Americas. Instead, the global vampire draws from indigenous mythology as well as popular culture, and is freed from typical readings of monstrosity and otherness. This collection features over a dozen interdisciplinary scholars reading popular texts through critical lenses that range from traditional literary studies, to video game scholarship, to ecocriticism. Challenging the field of popular vampire studies, this book asks the question: What is the vampire in different global contexts, and what does it represent?' (Publication summary) 

1 1 y separately published work icon Blood on the Table : Essays on Food in International Crime Fiction Jean Anderson (editor), Carolina Miranda (editor), Barbara Pezzotti (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2018 14356019 2018 anthology criticism

'Written from a multicultural and interdisciplinary perspective, this collection of new essays explores the semiotics of food in the 20th- and 21st-century crime fiction of authors such as Anthony Bourdain, Arthur Upfield, Sara Paretsky, Andrea Camilleri, Fred Vargas, Ruth Rendell, Stieg Larsson, Leonardo Padura, Georges Simenon, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, and Donna Leon. The collection covers a range of issues, such as the provision of intra-, peri- or paratextual recipes, the aesthetics and ethics of food, eating rituals as indications of cultural belonging, and regional, national and supranational identities. It also tackles eating disorders and other seemingly abnormal habits as signs of "Otherness". Also mentioned are the television productions of the Inspector Montalbano series (1999 ongoing), the Danish-Swedish Bron/Broen (2011, The Bridge), and its remakes The Tunnel (2013, France/UK) and The Bridge (2013, USA).' (Publication summary)

1 1 y separately published work icon Australian Crime Fiction : A 200-Year History Stephen Knight , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2018 14051346 2018 multi chapter work criticism

'Australian crime fiction grew from the country's modern origins as a very distant English prison. Early stories described escaped convicts becoming heroic bushrangers, or how the system maltreated mis-convicted people.

'As Australia developed, thrillers emerged about threats to the wealth of free settlers and crime among gold-seekers from England and America, and then urban crime fiction including in 1887 London's first best-seller, Fergus Hume's Melbourne-located The Mystery of a Hansom Cab.

'The genre thrived, with bush detectives like Billy Pagan and Arthur Upfield's half-Indigenous `Bony', and from the 1950s women like June Wright, Pat Flower and Patricia Carlon linked with the internationally burgeoning psychothriller. Modernity has massified the Australian form: the 1980s saw a flow of private-eye thrillers, both Aussie Marlowes and tough young women, and the crime novel thrived, long a favorite in the police-skeptical country. In the twenty-first century some authors have focused on policemen, and more on policewomen- and finally there is potent Indigenous crime fiction.

'In this book Stephen Knight, long-established as an authority on the genre and now back in Melbourne, tells in detail and with analytic coherence this story of a rich but previously little-known national crime fiction.'(Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon The Ageless Agatha Christie : Essays on the Mysteries and the Legacy J. C. Bernthal (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2016 9615918 2016 anthology criticism

'When Agatha Christie died in 1976, she was the bestselling mystery writer in history. This collection of new essays brings fresh perspectives to Christie scholarship with new readings and discussions of little-known aspects of her life, career and legacy. The contributors explore her relationship with modernism, the relevance of queer theory, television adaptations, issues with translations, information behavior theory, feminist readings, postcolonial tribute novels, celebrity culture and heritage cinema. The final word is given to fans in an editorial that collates testimonies from readers, collectors and enthusiasts.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon Lost Souls of Horror and The Gothic : Fifty-four Neglected Authors, Actors, Artists and Othes Elizabeth McCarthy (editor), Bernice M. Murphy (editor), North Carolina : McFarland and Company , 2016 14453870 2016 anthology short story

"In recent years horror and gothic have penetrated mainstream popular culture in a manner unseen since the horror boom of the 1970s. This collection of 54 biographical essays examines many overlooked and underrated figures who have played a role in the ever expanding world of horror and gothic entertainment" (Forward to this anthology). 

1 y separately published work icon Towards Sherlock Holmes: A Thematic History of Crime Fiction in the 19th Century World Crime Fiction in the 19th Century World Stephen Knight , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2016 10923144 2016 multi chapter work criticism

'Crime fiction–a product of the burgeoning metropolis of the 19th century–features specialists who identify criminals to protect an anxious citizenry. Before detectives came to play the central role, the protagonists tended to be lawyers or other professionals. Major English writers like Gaskell, Dickens and Collins contributed to the genre–Fergus Hume's The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was a best-seller in 1887–and American and French authors created new forms. This book explores thematic aspects of 19th century crime fiction's complex history, including various social and gender roles between different time periods and settings, and the imperial elements that made Sherlock Holmes seem dynamically contemporary.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon Women Versed in Myth : Essays on Modern Poets Colleen S. Harris (editor), Valerie Estelle Frankel (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2016 10470331 2016 anthology criticism

'Throughout history, men have prayed to gods and poets have interpreted ancient myths for new audiences. But what about women? With sections on teaching and modern writing, this collection of new essays examines how modern female poets—including H.D., Louise Glück, Ruth Fainlight, Rita Dove, Sylvia Plath and others—have subverted classical expectations in interpreting such legends as Persephone, Helen and Eurydice. Other mythological figures are also explored and rewritten, including Buddhism’s Kwan Yin, Celtic Macha, the Aztecs’ Coatlicue, Pele of Hawaii, India’s Sita, Sumer’s Inanna, Yemonja of the Yoruba and many more.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon Talking Animals in Children's Fiction : A Critical Study Catherine L. Elick , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2015 8673563 2015 multi chapter work criticism

'Talking-animal tales have conveyed anticruelty messages since the 18th-century beginnings of children's literature. Yet only in the modern period have animal characters become true subjects rather than objects of human neglect or benevolence. Modern fantasies reflect the shift from animal welfare to animal rights in 20th-century public discourse. This revolution in literary animal-human relations began with Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and continued with the work of Kenneth Grahame, Hugh Lofting, P.L. Travers and E. B. White. Beginning with the ideas of literary theorist Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin, this book examines ways in which animal characters gain an aura of authority through using language and then participate in reversals of power. The author provides a close reading of 10 acclaimed British and American children's fantasies or series published before 1975. Authors whose work has received little scholarly attention are also covered, including Robert Lawson, George Selden and Robert C. O'Brien.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon The Holy Grail on Film: Essays on the Cinematic Quest Kevin J. Harty (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2015 11374084 2015 anthology criticism
1 y separately published work icon Joe Quinn Among the Rowdies : The Life of Baseball's Honest Australian Rochelle Llewelyn Nicholls , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2014 7976814 2014 single work biography

'"A gentleman when the game was hard-bitten, played by rough-and-ready lads out to win whatever the cost...." Australia had few sporting heroes in the years preceding its federation in 1901. But before its 20th-century Olympic trailblazers, and Depression-era icons such as Phar Lap and Don Bradman, came an Australian sporting pioneer who was celebrated on the most glamorous stage in the world–American major league baseball. Joe Quinn's story has long been lost in the land of his birth. This tale gallops from the deprivation of famine-ravaged Ireland through colonial Australia to the raucous ballfields of 19th-century America, with their unruly players and owners, brawls and adulation and backroom betrayals. Through 17 seasons in the major leagues, "Undertaker" Joe Quinn earned his place among the colorful characters who pioneered the modern game of baseball, as much for his ability to stand apart from their bad behavior as for his steadfastness on the field. Meet Australia's first professional baseball player and manager, whose willingness to "have a go" in the grand Australian tradition will live long in the minds of sports fans on both sides of the Pacific.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon Mathematics in Popular Culture: Essays on Appearances in Film, Fiction, Games, Television and Other Media Jessica K. Sklar (editor), Elizabeth S. Sklar (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2012 Z1903448 2012 anthology criticism 'Mathematics has maintained a surprising presence in popular media for over a century. In recent years, the movies Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, and Stand and Deliver, the stage plays Breaking the Code and Proof, the novella Flatland and the hugely successful television crime series NUMB3RS all weave mathematics prominently into their storylines. Less obvious but pivotal references to the subject appear in the blockbuster TV show Lost, the cult movie The Princess Bride, and even Tolstoy's War and Peace. In this collection of new essays, contributors consider the role of math in everything from films, baseball, crossword puzzles, fantasy role-playing games, and television shows to science fiction tales, award-winning plays and classic works of literature. Revealing the broad range of intersections between mathematics and mainstream culture, this collection demonstrates that even "mass entertainment" can have a hidden depth' (Publisher blurb).
1 1 y separately published work icon The Mysteries of the Cities: Urban Crime Fiction in the Nineteenth Century Stephen Knight , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2012 Z1872086 2012 multi chapter work criticism 'A popular crime genre in the nineteenth century, urban mysteries have largely been ignored ever since. This historical and critical text examines the origins of the innovative genre, which sought to grapple with the rise of enormous, anonymous cities, beginning in France in 1842, then spreading rapidly across the continent and into America and Australia' (Provided by publisher).
1 1 y separately published work icon Women Writing Crime Fiction, 1860–1880 : Fourteen American, British and Australian Authors Kate Wilson , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2012 8518838 2012 selected work biography

'This study explores women's crime fiction writing in the mid to late 19th century in three national contexts: American, Australian and British. It also opens up critical histories of the genre. The bringing of women's "criminographic" fiction to critical attention will help correct a broader critical occlusion of crime fiction in the decades of 1860 to 1880' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon Apocalypse in Australian Fiction and Film : A Critical Study Roslyn Weaver , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2011 Z1820733 2011 single work criticism 'Australia has been a frequent choice of location for narratives about the end of the world in science fiction and speculative works, ranging from pre-colonial apocalyptic maps to key literary works from the last fifty years. This critical work explores the role of Australia in both apocalyptic literature and film. Works and genres covered include Nevil Shute's popular novel On the Beach, Mad Max, children's literature, Indigenous writing, and cyberpunk. The text examines ways in which apocalypse is used to undermine complacency, foretell environmental disasters, critique colonization, and to serve as a means of protest for minority groups. Australian apocalypse imagines Australia at the ends of the world, geographically and psychologically, but also proposes spaces of hope for the future.' (From the publisher's website.)
1 y separately published work icon Science Fiction, Imperialism and the Third World : Essays on Postcolonial Literature and Film Erica Hoagland (editor), Reema Sarwal (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2010 Z1887477 2010 anthology criticism 'Though science fiction is often thought of as a Western phenomenon, the genre has long had a foothold in countries as diverse as India and Mexico. These fourteen critical essays examine both the role of science fiction in the third world and the role of the third world in science fiction. Topics covered include science fiction in Bengal, the genre's portrayal of Native Americans, Mexican cyberpunk fiction, and the undercurrents of colonialism and Empire in traditional science fiction. The intersections of science fiction theory and postcolonial theory are explored, as well as science fiction's contesting of imperialism and how the third world uses the genre to recreate itself.' (Publisher's blurb)
1 y separately published work icon Horrors : Great Stories of Fear and their Creators Rocky Wood , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2010 Z1782962 2010 single work graphic novel horror 'The night modern horror was born was notoriously dark and stormy, as were the lives of those who wrote the most fearsome tales in literature, for those so gifted were also cursed. Horrors, a graphic novel, reveals in gruesome detail Mary Wollstonecraft, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe and other masters of the genre haunted by their creations.' (Trove record)
1 y separately published work icon Transnationalism and the Asian American Heroine : Essays on Literature, Film, Myth and Media Lan Dong (editor), Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2010 Z1762881 2010 anthology criticism
1 1 y separately published work icon Peter Carey : A Literary Companion Mary Ellen Snodgrass , Jefferson : McFarland and Company , 2010 Z1724348 2010 single work criticism
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