Clive Barker Criticism
Clive Barker is a seminal figure in contemporary horror fiction, known for his ability to blend graphic violence and sexuality with rich, imaginative narratives. His work has been both lauded and critiqued, but his influence on the genre is undeniable. In Clive Barker: The Delights of Dread, critics explore his penchant for creating "joyous apocalypses" that challenge traditional boundaries, a feature that marked his emergence as a significant literary force in the 1980s, as noted by Douglas E. Winter.
Barker's ability to preserve the integrity of his visions is evident in his film adaptations, notably the Hellraiser series. By directing films like Hellraiser and Nightbreed, he ensured his distinctive style—often compared to that of H. P. Lovecraft—remained intact, as discussed in The Inhuman Condition. His stories, including "The Forbidden" and "Rawhead Rex," delve into societal issues through horror, reflecting Barker's broader thematic concerns.
Despite Barker's acclaim, some, like Fleming Meeks, argue that works within the Books of Blood series lack originality or fright. Nevertheless, his skill in evoking dread and his innovative narrative style garner appreciation. Criticism extends to his character development, with some characters seen as underdeveloped, yet the thematic depth and stylistic innovation of his works continue to be appreciated.
Influenced by J.M. Barrie and Edgar Allan Poe, Barker's early endeavors in writing and theater—incubated during his time at the University of Liverpool—set the stage for his groundbreaking contributions to horror. His formation of The Dog Company and subsequent works such as Books of Blood and The Damnation Game established his place in the genre. Barker's debut film, Hellraiser, adapted from his novella The Hellbound Heart, solidified his cinematic influence, as referenced by Kim Newman.
Barker's novels, including Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show, exemplify his blend of fantasy and horror, exploring cosmic themes and human struggles. His foray into children's literature, with works like The Thief of Always, highlights his ability to intertwine fantasy with moral storytelling, a point analyzed by Robert Zeigler. As observed by Lisa Tuttle, Barker's works often bridge horror and fantasy, showcasing his fascination with the interplay between fear and desire.
Critics like Linda Badley praise Barker for transcending genre boundaries, creating detailed, captivating worlds. While his style is sometimes perceived as excessively gruesome, his exploration of themes such as the body and identity continues to resonate, securing his status as a major literary figure.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Barker, Clive (Contemporary Literary Criticism)
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Hellraiser: From Horror Fiction to Horror Movies
(summary)
In the following essay, Newman surveys the film Hellraiser and Barker's horror writing.
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The Figures in the Carpet
(summary)
In the following review, Greenland compares Weaveworld to Ramsey Campbell's The Doll Who Ate His Mother, finding Barker's novel lacking in substance.
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Darklands Here We Come: Future Shockers
(summary)
In the following essay, McDonagh discusses Barker's foray into filmmaking, drawing parallels between Barker's career and that of cyberpunk writer William Gibson.
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Every Fear Is a Desire
(summary)
In the following essay, Tuttle examines the connection between horror and fantasy in Barker's work, relating a conversation she had with the author just prior to the publication of Cabal.
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Clive Barker
(summary)
In the following essay, Epel presents Barker's thoughts on dreams and their importance to the artistic process.
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Fantasy's Timeless Humor in Clive Barker's The Thief of Always
(summary)
In the following essay, Zeigler contends that The Thief of Always invokes a sense of fantasy and conveys a moral message.
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Trance of Innocence
(summary)
In the following essay, Barker recalls the feelings of purity with which he created two short films—Salomé and The Forbidden—early in his career.
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The Painter, the Creature, and the Father of Lies: An Introduction
(summary)
In the following essay, Barker outlines the three plays—Colossus, Frankenstein in Love, and The History of the Devil—which comprise Incarnations.
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Carry On Screaming
(summary)
In the following review, Harley characterizes Incarnations as “hasty sketches … for completists only.”
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Clive Barker Writing (from) the Body
(summary)
In the following essay, Badley analyzes Barker's Books of Blood, his films, and his other literary work.
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Contemporary Horror Fiction, 1950-1998
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Dziemianowicz treats Barker's Books of Blood as a forerunner of the splatterpunk horror fiction movement in the late 1980s.
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The Many Lives of Clive
(summary)
In the following interview, Barker and Landon explore Clive Barker's personal and professional evolution, highlighting his transition from horror to children's literature with The Book of Hours while discussing themes of gender ambiguity and the impact of societal taboos on his work and life.
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A Bloody Sham
(summary)
In the following review, Gates praises The Essential Clive Barker and details the history of Barker's novels and short fiction.
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Horrors, It's Hollywood!
(summary)
In the following interview, Barker and Rowe explore Clive Barker's inspirations and themes for his novel Coldheart Canyon, discussing its satirical take on Hollywood's obsession with image and fame, while also delving into Barker's personal views on beauty, his experiences in the film industry, and his private life.
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Nowhere Land: The Damnation Game (1985)
(summary)
In the following essay, Winter analyzes the Faustian influence in Barker's first novel, The Damnation Game.
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The Persistence of Supernaturalism
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Joshi contends there are conceptual flaws in Barker's short stories and novels.
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On the Side of the Demons: Clive Barker's Pleasures and Pains
(summary)
In the following essay, Barker and Wells discuss Clive Barker's significant contributions to the horror genre, highlighting his reconfiguration of British horror, the creation of iconic monsters like Pinhead and the Candyman, and his exploration of themes like bodily transcendence, sexuality, and societal fears within a distinctly 'English' context.
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There Are No Limits: Splatterpunk, Clive Barker, and the Body in-extremis.
(summary)
In the following essay, McRoy categorizes Barker's The Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser, and Nightbreed as examples of the splatterpunk sub-genre.
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Hellraiser: From Horror Fiction to Horror Movies
(summary)
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Barker, Clive (Short Story Criticism)
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Clive Barker: The Delights of Dread
(summary)
In the following review, Morrison explores thematic and stylistic aspects of the short stories in the first three Books of Blood. Morrison describes Barker's stories as original, disturbing, and discomforting, heralding the arrival of a major new talent in horror fiction.
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Blood without End
(summary)
In the following review, Morrison provides a generally favorable assessment of Barker's first three Books of Blood. The publication of this massive collection of well-crafted, original, disturbing stories heralds the arrival of an important new voice in horror fiction. The reader new to Barker's fiction is struck immediately by the gleeful carnage, graphic violence, and explicit sex that abound in these tales: monsters devastate whole cities; demons caper through the night; the “violent dead” slaughter innocent and guilty alike, while the living maim, torture and kill one another by physical or psychic means. Barker's characters, living and dead, engage in a variety of sexual acts, from conventional—if loveless—heterosexual and homosexual couplings to the outer limits of perversion. All this carnality and mayhem is lovingly described in Barker's vivid, sensory cinematic style.
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Harrowing Horror
(summary)
In the following review of Books of Blood, Volumes 4–6, Morgan describes Barker as a highly talented yet inconsistent writer.
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Review of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume One
(summary)
In the following review, Meeks asserts that the stories in the first Books of Blood are neither original nor frightening.
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Clive Barker: Britain's New Master of Horror
(summary)
In the following review of the first three Books of Blood and The Inhuman Condition, Winter asserts that Barker is the most important horror fiction writer of the 1980s.
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The Inhuman Condition
(summary)
In the following review, Tucker praises the stories in The Inhuman Condition, which he contends effectively “create an atmosphere of dread and foreboding.” He highlights Barker's ability to set scenes with meticulous details and vivid images of violence, comparing his work to predecessors like H. P. Lovecraft and Arthur Machen. Tucker discusses specific stories, noting their unique premises and how Barker's prose shifts from the Gothic to the graphic.
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Visions of the Joyous Apocalypse
(summary)
In the following review, Morrison asserts that the stories in The Inhuman Condition are adventurous but pale in comparison to the first Books of Blood trilogy. The Inhuman Condition is aptly named. These five 'tales of terror' from the first volume of Barker's second Books of Blood trilogy, tell of humans transformed into something more than human. It is their obsessions—sexual, religious, or intellectual—that drive Barker's protagonists to transformation, fulfillment, and doom. Although some of the characters are superficially drawn, their reactions are rarely stereotypical.
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Review of The Inhuman Condition
(summary)
In the following review, D'Ammassa offers a brief description of some of the stories in The Inhuman Condition. This collection of five stories was originally published in England as Books of Blood, Volume IV. The title story concerns a twist of knotted rope that releases demons into our world. “The Body Politic” is a satire, with human hands revolting against their condition of servitude. Ghosts return to a motel room in “Revelations” and the ultimate aphrodisiac turns a man into a monster in “The Age of Desire”. Barker has quickly established himself as a force to be contended with. It will be interesting to see if he can produce a novel of comparable quality to his superb shorter works.
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Review of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Two
(summary)
In the following review, D'Ammassa maintains that the five stories included in the second volume of the Books of Blood are of uniformly high quality. Barker is certain to become one of the major voices of modern horror fiction if he can maintain this level of quality.
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Review of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Three
(summary)
In the following review of the third Books of Blood, Keis observes that Barker is an innovative writer in the horror genre, and that Barker's stories appeal to those who are prepared for the bloody details that characterize his fiction.
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Review of In the Flesh
(summary)
In the following review, Gleick observes that the stories included in In the Flesh are ingenious and intelligent, and effectively play upon unconscious human terrors.
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Review of In the Flesh
(summary)
In the following review, Coven praises the stories of In the Flesh as grotesque, graphic, and disturbing. The four tales of horror in Clive Barker's In the Flesh are not made for fireside reading. These are disturbing tales that emerge from a profound sense of despair and desolation.
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In the Flesh
(summary)
In the following review, D'Ammassa asserts that the title story of In the Flesh is the best of those included in this volume. Clive Barker provides four more novelets of the supernatural in this latest collection. The title story is easily the best, the tale of a young man who deliberately commits a crime in order to visit the prison grave of his grandfather, and who finds himself visiting a city of the dead. Nearly as good is “The Forbidden”. A young woman is doing some research in a poor community when she hears conflicting tales of recent murders. Her investigations bring fiction to life in a bizarre ending. The remaining two stories deal with a secret institute and a ghostly seduction.
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Review of The Books of Blood
(summary)
In the following review of the compilation The Books of Blood, the critic asserts that Barker is a major innovator in modern horror fiction.
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Review of The Books of Blood
(summary)
In the following review of The Books of Blood, Anderson observes that Barker's effective mingling of the realms of life and death in his short stories uplifts the horror genre.
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It's That Time of the Month: Representations of the Goddess in the Work of Clive Barker
(summary)
In the following essay, Burns examines images of powerful females in Barker's short fiction, particularly the stories “Raw Head Rex” and “The Madonna.”
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Embracing Imagination: Uncollected Short Fiction and Final Comments
(summary)
In the following essay, Hoppenstand offers an overview of the major thematic concerns of Barker's short fiction.
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Clive Barker Writing (from) the Body
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Badley applies contemporary cultural theory, including feminist theory, to an analysis of representations of women in Barker's fiction.
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Clive Barker: The Delights of Dread
(summary)
- Further Reading