The Cultural Construction of Monstrous Children
Essays on Anomalous Children from 1595 to the Present Day
Edited by Simon Bacon and Leo Ruickbie
Buy now from the publishers, Anthem Press.
The Cultural Construction of Monstrous Children is a collection of essays exploring the special fear and fascination that surround the idea of children and teenagers gifted with supernatural powers or touched by supernatural evil.
Subjects range from the confessions of a teenage werewolf in 17th century France to vampires and zombies in young adult fiction, and the authors take very varied approaches, making this an intriguing, challenging and compelling book.
My contribution, The Possession of John Starkie, investigates how Nicholas Starkie, one of the wealthiest men in Tudor England, became convinced that his 13-year-old son John was possessed by evil spirits, after John formed a close friendship with a local wizard, Edmund Hartlay.