Overview

This introductory study provides a thorough grounding in both the history of Gothic literature and the way in which Gothic texts have been (and can be) critically read. The book opens with a chronology and an introduction to the principal texts and key critical terms, followed by four chapters: The Gothic Heyday 1760-1820; Gothic 1820-1865; Gothic Proximities 1865-1900; and the Twentieth Century. The discussion examines how the Gothic has developed in different national contexts and in different forms, including novels, novellas, poems, and films. Each chapter concludes with a close reading of a specific text - Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Dracula and The Silence of the Lambs - to illustrate the ways in which contextual discussion informs critical analysis. The book ends with a conclusion outlining possible future developments within scholarship on the Gothic. Key Features * Provides a single, comprehensive and accessible introduction to Gothic literature * Offers a coherent account of the historical development of the Gothic in a range of literary and national contexts * Introduces the ways in which critical theories of class, gender, race and national identity have been applied to Gothic texts *Includes an outline of essential resources and a guide to further reading

Full Product Details

9780748623693

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Andrew Smith is Professor of English Studies at the University of Glamorgan. His nine published books include Victorian Demons (2004); Gothic Radicalism (2000), and Teaching the Gothic (edited with Anna Powell: 2006).

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available