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Post by Michael Connolly on Jul 23, 2016 13:07:54 GMT
Who would have thunk it? Shane Black, the writer/director of Iron Man 3, is a fan of M.R. James. This is from an interview in The Telegraph. "Black’s other literary passion, outside of pulp detective novels, are Edwardian ghost stories by writers like M.R. James and Sheridan Le Fanu, which might help him channel that terror. 'I've always loved language you can chew. M. R. James, every Christmas he would write a ghost story standing at his lecturn [sic], and read it to his Oxford group there. The idea of a scholar whose guilty pleasure is trying to scare his friends by writing a really well-worded ghost story is just fantastic to me.'” You can read the whole interview here: www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/03/shane-black-the-lethal-weapon-writer-on-his-explosive-rise-and-s/ |
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Post by ropardoe on Jul 23, 2016 15:10:09 GMT
Who would have thunk it? Shane Black, the writer/director of Iron Man 3, is a fan of M.R. James. This is from an interview in The Telegraph. "Black’s other literary passion, outside of pulp detective novels, are Edwardian ghost stories by writers like M.R. James and Sheridan Le Fanu, which might help him channel that terror. 'I've always loved language you can chew. M. R. James, every Christmas he would write a ghost story standing at his lecturn [sic], and read it to his Oxford group there. The idea of a scholar whose guilty pleasure is trying to scare his friends by writing a really well-worded ghost story is just fantastic to me.'” You can read the whole interview here: www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/03/shane-black-the-lethal-weapon-writer-on-his-explosive-rise-and-s/ So much of a fan that he thinks MRJ read his stories at 'the other place', as they would say in Cambridge. Still, Iron Man 3 was a very entertaining film, so I'm not going to quibble (er, all right I just did!). |
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Jul 23, 2016 16:06:37 GMT
Le Fanu an Edwardian? He must have survived longer than previously believed.
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jul 25, 2016 12:08:01 GMT
Who would have thunk it? Shane Black, the writer/director of Iron Man 3, is a fan of M.R. James. This is from an interview in The Telegraph. "Black’s other literary passion, outside of pulp detective novels, are Edwardian ghost stories by writers like M.R. James and Sheridan Le Fanu, which might help him channel that terror. 'I've always loved language you can chew. M. R. James, every Christmas he would write a ghost story standing at his lecturn [sic], and read it to his Oxford group there. The idea of a scholar whose guilty pleasure is trying to scare his friends by writing a really well-worded ghost story is just fantastic to me.'” You can read the whole interview here: www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/03/shane-black-the-lethal-weapon-writer-on-his-explosive-rise-and-s/ So much of a fan that he thinks MRJ read his stories at 'the other place', as they would say in Cambridge. Still, Iron Man 3 was a very entertaining film, so I'm not going to quibble (er, all right I just did!). Shane Black also thinks that MRJ wrote standing up. He must have confused him with Ernest Hemingway. I should have put in more sics. |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Aug 11, 2016 13:47:37 GMT
 This is a picture of M.R. James which The New Yorker used to illustrate a review of MRJ's Collected Ghost Stories edited by Darryl Jones: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/02/13/fright-nights-2This is breaking news from four and a half years ago. MRJ looks a little off. And no wonder, with that thing floating in front of him. |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Dec 12, 2016 13:40:48 GMT
"Don’t let us be mild and drab. Malevolence and terror, the glare of evil faces, ‘the stony grin of unearthly malice’, pursuing forms in darkness, and ‘long-drawn, distant screams’, are all in place, and so is a modicum of blood, shed with deliberation..." are M.R. James's 1929 words used to unexpectedly introduce an interview with American comic-book artist Kelley Jones in Comic Book Creator 14, due to be published on 15 February, 2017. On p.32 it is stated that M.R. James is Kelley's favourite horror writer. I'm not really familiar with his work (he's after my time), but his artwork used for the article isn't exactly subtle. I'm curious to know if M.R. James has been an influence in any way. You can access a preview of the article here: issuu.com/twomorrows/docs/comicbookcreator14preview |
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Post by ropardoe on Dec 12, 2016 16:16:57 GMT
"Don’t let us be mild and drab. Malevolence and terror, the glare of evil faces, ‘the stony grin of unearthly malice’, pursuing forms in darkness, and ‘long-drawn, distant screams’, are all in place, and so is a modicum of blood, shed with deliberation..." are M.R. James's 1929 words used to unexpectedly introduce an interview with American comic-book artist Kelley Jones in Comic Book Creator 14, due to be published on 15 February, 2017. On p.32 it is stated that M.R. James is Kelley's favourite horror writer. I'm not really familiar with his work (he's after my time), but his artwork used for the article isn't exactly subtle. I'm curious to know if M.R. James has been an influence in any way. You can access a preview of the article here: issuu.com/twomorrows/docs/comicbookcreator14previewYou never know where MRJ will turn up next! It's a good quote anyway, and certainly gives the lie to any idea that MRJ was a 'cozy' writer. |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jan 31, 2017 13:52:56 GMT
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Post by Michael Connolly on Feb 1, 2017 12:44:42 GMT
Update: Jones actually speaks very little about M.R. James. On p.63 of the interview he states "I love M.R. James. I can probably say he's the best. Short and completely frightening. He is the most frightening writer there is. I've illustrated one M.R. James story." He doesn't name it, but it is "The Ash Tree", where his art is relatively subdued. Under the photograph of M.R. James and the cover of the Dover edition of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary on p.36, his year of birth is given as 1882, which is only twenty years out. |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Feb 3, 2017 14:45:15 GMT
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Post by ropardoe on Feb 16, 2017 11:58:33 GMT
Medieval Studies and the Ghost Stories of M. R. James by Patrick J. Murphy has has been announced by Penn State University Press for publication in March or April (just too late to mention in the news section of the next Ghosts & Scholars - grrr!). Judging from what it says on the Penn State Press website, my guess is that the book is built around the series of papers which Murphy and Fred Porcheddu have written in recent years, looking at the interconnectedness of MRJ's ghost stories and his professional fields of study (something which Ghosts & Scholars has been preoccupied with for years!). For academics, Murphy and Porcheddu have actually done some interesting and new research on this subject - especially relating to "The Diary of Mr Poynter". Since the book is priced at around £60/$85 for under 250 pages, I don't see it reaching a new market though (cheaper to get the original articles through interlibrary loan). I don't think I'll be seeing a copy unless I'm sent one for review. Still, Murphy's introduction, which is long and interesting, can be read in full on the website. The cover artwork is truly dreadful! www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-07771-0.html 
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Post by Michael Connolly on Feb 16, 2017 13:39:45 GMT
Medieval Studies and the Ghost Stories of M. R. James by Patrick J. Murphy has has been announced by Penn State University Press for publication in March or April (just too late to mention in the news section of the next Ghosts & Scholars - grrr!). Judging from what it says on the Penn State Press website, my guess is that the book is built around the series of papers which Murphy and Fred Porcheddu have written in recent years, looking at the interconnectedness of MRJ's ghost stories and his professional fields of study (something which Ghosts & Scholars has been preoccupied with for years!). For academics, Murphy and Porcheddu have actually done some interesting and new research on this subject - especially relating to "The Diary of Mr Poynter". Since the book is priced at around £60/$85 for under 250 pages, I don't see it reaching a new market though (cheaper to get the original articles through interlibrary loan). I don't think I'll be seeing a copy unless I'm sent one for review. Still, Murphy's introduction, which is long and interesting, can be read in full on the website. The cover artwork is truly dreadful! www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-07771-0.html That's the picture of M.R. James The New Yorker used to illustrate its review of MRJ's Collected Ghost Stories edited by Darryl Jones (seen earlier in this thread). MRJ looks like a constipated Arthur Askey.  |
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Post by ropardoe on Feb 16, 2017 14:15:44 GMT
That's the picture of M.R. James The New Yorker used to illustrate its review of MRJ's Collected Ghost Stories edited by Darryl Jones (seen earlier in this thread). MRJ looks like a constipated Arthur Askey. It is, isn't it? Which presumably means it wasn't specially commissioned, so it's not even an "oh well, we're stuck with it now" situation. They deliberately chose to use it? Weird. Oh, and even at the best of times I'd rather not be reminded of Arthur Askey, whatever the state of his bowel movements! |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Feb 16, 2017 14:28:43 GMT
That's the picture of M.R. James The New Yorker used to illustrate its review of MRJ's Collected Ghost Stories edited by Darryl Jones (seen earlier in this thread). MRJ looks like a constipated Arthur Askey. It is, isn't it? Which presumably means it wasn't specially commissioned, so it's not even an "oh well, we're stuck with it now" situation. They deliberately chose to use it? Weird. Oh, and even at the best of times I'd rather not be reminded of Arthur Askey, whatever the state of his bowel movements! He makes me regret that Hitler lost the war. |
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Post by ropardoe on Feb 17, 2017 12:39:05 GMT
It is, isn't it? Which presumably means it wasn't specially commissioned, so it's not even an "oh well, we're stuck with it now" situation. They deliberately chose to use it? Weird. Oh, and even at the best of times I'd rather not be reminded of Arthur Askey, whatever the state of his bowel movements! He makes me regret that Hitler lost the war. That may be going a little bit too far, but I agree with the sentiment. What made it worse for me was that my parents were big fans (of Arthur Askey, not Hitler). |
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