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Between the years of 1886 and 1939, the world saw the first automobiles, rapid urbanization, the decay of empires, vast economic inequality, the first airplanes and the terrifying secrets of the atom. It was a time of cataclysmic cultural and technological transformation, and spawned the rise of the literary genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror.
This work assembles gems of late nineteenth and early twentieth century genre literature, including stories by such literary giants as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore, A. Merritt and E. M. Forster, as well as smaller authors like Clare Winger Harris, Marie Corelli, William Hope Hodgson and others. An array of incisive nonfiction pieces on cultural and scientific advances of the time period provides a context for the anthology's stories.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
"The Comet" by W.E.B. Du Bois
"Enoch Soames: A Memory of the Eighteen-nineties" by Max Beerbohm
"The Striding Place" by Gertrude Atherton
"Haïta the Shepherd" by Ambrose Bierce
"Luella Miller" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
"The Ash-tree" by M.R. James
"The Bowmen" by Arthur Machen
"The Decay of the Ghost in Fiction" by Olivia Howard Dunbar
"The Miracle of the Lily" by Clare Winger Harris
"With the Night Mail" by Rudyard Kipling
"From Beyond" by H.P. Lovecraft
"The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster
"Rust" by Joseph E. Kelleam
"The Rhythm of the Spheres" by A. Merritt
"The Death of a Saint" by Evelyn Underhill
"The Electric Creed" by Marie Corelli
"The Searcher of the End House" by William Hope Hodgson
"What Pragmatism Means" by William James
"Spear and Fang" by Robert E. Howard
"The Black God's Kiss" by C.L. Moore
For Further Reading
Index
About the author
William Gillard teaches creative writing and literature at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and is the author of six books. He lives in Appleton, Wisconsin.James Reitter is an associate professor of English and film studies at Dominican College of Blauvelt in Orangeburg, New York. He publishes poetry in magazines and journals.Robert Stauffer specializes in medieval and Renaissance literature at Dominican College of Blauvelt in Orangeburg, New York. He has published science-fiction short stories and several articles on baseball.
Summary
The years 1886 to 1939 were a time of cataclysmic cultural and technological transformation and spawned the rise of the literary genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror. This work assembles gems of late nineteenth and early twentieth century genre literature, including stories by literary giants and less well known authors.
