Potter, Franz J. 1969–

PERSONAL:

Born 1969. Education: University of East Anglia, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Thousand Oaks, CA. Office—Academic and Administrative Headquarters, National University, 11355 N. Torrey Pines Rd., LaJolla, CA 92037. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Educator and writer. National University, LaJolla, CA, assistant professor.

WRITINGS:

(Editor) The Monster Made by Man: A Compendium of Gothic Adaptations, Zittaw Press (Concord, NH), 2004.

The History of Gothic Publishing, 1800-1835: Exhuming the Trade, Palgrave Macmillan (New York, NY), 2005.

(Editor and author of introduction) Romances and Gothic Tales, Zittaw Press (Concord, NH), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

As the editor of The Monster Made by Man: A Compendium of Gothic Adaptations, Franz J. Potter focuses on gothic short stories, or what were once derivatively referred to as the "trade Gothic." These gothic stories were usually not viewed favorably by the critics, especially in comparison with the famous gothic novels of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, such as Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Nevertheless, Potter makes a case for their value in his introduction and gathers together nine tales from serial magazines and omnibuses published primarily between 1825 and 1830. All the authors published their works anonymously, and the stories show both the derivative and creative nature of gothic short stories. Many of them focus on similar themes, such as intervention by supernatural forces, including the dead directing the living to seek revenge. For example, the title story borrows its theme from Frankenstein, while another adapts the wandering Jew myth. Noting the collection's "extremely interesting and learned Introduction, historical notes and a rich bibliography," Agony Column Web site contributor Mario Guslandi wrote of The Monster Made by Man: "Naïve and shallow as their themes can appear, those tales maintain their ability to fascinate and entertain." Guslandi also pointed out that Potter's contribution to the collection should be recognized. The reviewer commented: "If you're neither an academic nor a literary scholar, you may just enjoy the tales without bothering to browse the editor's annotations. However, I strongly advise you to do so because they are enlightening and definitely worth reading."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

ONLINE

Agony Column,http://trashotron.com/agony/ (October 5, 2007), Mario Guslandi, review of The Monster Made by Man: A Compendium of Gothic Adaptations.

National University Web site,http://www.nu.edu/ (September 6, 2007), biography of Franz J. Potter.