This anthology of essays focuses on the darker side of the human condition as it appears in fantastic literature. The first section of the book, The Dark Self, takes its direction from Colin Manlove's essay on Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a classic examination of the dark side of the self. Section two, Mainstream Dark, examines mainstream authors who have used elements of the fantastic in their dark visions. The Dark Arts, section three, examines the ways in which the fine arts deal with the darker elements of the real and the fantastic. The fourth section, Humor in the Dark, looks at comedic elements in film and fiction. The final section features Kathryn Hume's essay Postmodernism in Popular Literary Fantasy and other essays that are a part of the continuing attempt to bring new critical approaches to fantastic literature.
The first section of the book, The Dark Self, takes its direction from Colin Manlove's essay on Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a classic examination of the dark side of the self. Section two, Mainstream Dark, examines mainstream authors who have used elements of the fantastic in their dark visions.
