Short Story Review: Marcel Schwob’s “The Death of Odjigh” (1892)

March 25, 2018July 9, 2020 / Joachim Boaz / 7 Comments

(John Yang’s cover for the 2017 edition)

4.25/5 (Very Good)

Marcel Schwob’s short stories (and invented biographies) inspired the likes of Jorge Luis Borges, Roberto Bolaño, and other proponents of “intertextual” and “encyclopedic” literature. Due to this intellectual genealogy which speaks to my very fiber, I purchased a copy of Wakefield Press’ gorgeous 2017 edition of The King in the Golden Mask (1892), which contains a kaleidoscope of fascinating fictions filled with evocative imagery and metafictional delights. I eagerly await a new edition of Schwob’s pseudo-historical biographies Imaginary Lives Continue reading →

Guest Post: Two Speculative Fictions from the 1890s: “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Little Room”(1895), Madeline Yale Wynne

December 7, 2016December 7, 2016 / Joachim Boaz / 9 Comments

The second guest post in my series SF Short Stories by Women Writers pre-1969 (original announcement and list of earlier posts) comes via MPorcius (follow him on twitter) who runs MPorcius Fiction Log. This wonderful site is predominately focused on vintage SF. I must confess, he has wider-ranging SF interests (and tolerance!) than myself and frequently reviews “classic” authors I’ve delegated, for good or bad, to the refuse pile — A. E. Van Vogt and his ilk for example. This is a good thing, because if you want a more illustrative cross section of the genre (from the New Wave to pulp to sword and fantasy) then check him out!

His post focuses on two short stories by 19th century speculative fiction women writers.

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(“The Yellow Wallpaper” appeared in More Macabre (1961), ed. Donald A. Wollheim, cover: John Schoenherr)

Review of “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “The Little Room” by Madeline Yale Wynne (1895).

By MPorcius

First, thanks to Joachim for hosting this series of guest posts and for inviting me to participate, and, more broadly, for doing so much to promote speculative fiction that is a little off the beaten path and perhaps receives less attention Continue reading →

A (short) Film Rumination: La Charcuterie Méchanique (The Mechanical Butcher), Auguste and Louis Lumière (1895)

March 9, 2011March 9, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 2 Comments

The brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière were two of the earliest and most influential film directors. La Charcuterie Méchanique (1895), considered one of the earliest “sc-fi” films of all time, predicts the mechanical butcher. A rather simple machine “transforms” a pig into Continue reading →

Two (Short) Film Ruminations: Le Diable Noir (1905), Un Homme de Têtes (1898), Georges Méliès

December 3, 2010February 14, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 2 Comments

The French director Georges Méliès (1861-1938) is rightly famous for his innovative use of special effects. He’s credited with inventing time-lapse photography, multiple exposures, stop-trick, and dissolves. I’ve selected two outrageously fun short films of his. He’s most famous for the sci-fi classic Voyage to the Moon, but any cinema lover will enjoy these two pieces of cinematic history.

Le Diable Noir (1905)