Gothic Realities
The Impact of Horror Fiction on Modern Culture
Published on 7. July 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-0-7864-4835-7 (ISBN)
Description
Eighteenth-century critics believed Gothic fiction would inspire deviant sexuality, instill heretical beliefs, and encourage antisocial violence--this book puts these beliefs to the test. After examining the assumptions behind critics' fears, it considers nineteenth-century concerns about sexual deviance, showing how Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, and other works helped construct homosexuality as a pathological, dangerous phenomenon. It then turns to television and film, particularly Buffy the Vampire Slayer and David DeCoteau's direct-to-video movies, to trace Gothicized sexuality's lasting impact. Moving to heretical beliefs, Gothic Realities surveys ghost stories from Dickens's A Christmas Carol to Poltergeist, articulating the relationships between fiction and the "real" supernatural. Finally, it considers connections between Gothic horror and real-world violence, especially the tragedies at Columbine and Virginia Tech.
Reviews / Votes
"astutely explores the ways that original fears regarding the corrupting influence of eighteenth-century Gothic texts continue to resurface in modern works and real life occurrences of horror.... Sophisticated and engaging from the start, Cooper's prose style makes for a lucid and enjoyable read"-Gothic Studies; "this book is both useful and provocative"-Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts; "Gracefully written...worth reading...valuable...a book that belongs on the shelves of anyone who is interested in the Gothic, in film studies, and in cultural studies as well as on the shelves of people who enjoy a well crafted argument."-Carol Senf, professor/associate chair Georgia Tech's School of Literature, Communication, and Culture. Author of The Vampire in Nineteenth Century English Literature and Science and Social Science in Bram Stoker's Fiction.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
21 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
412 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-4835-7 (9780786448357)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
L. Andrew Cooper is assistant professor of Film and Digital Media at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. His work has appeared in The Quarterly Review of Film and Video and Gothic Studies. His co-edited anthology targeted for composition classes, Monsters, appeared in summer 2012, and his next book, Dario Argento, is scheduled to appear in November 2012. Visit his website at www.landrewcooper.com.
Content
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Bad Influences and Gothic Realities
Part One: Gothic Threats
1. The Threat in the Gothic's Foundation: From John Locke to Horace Walpole
2. Gothic Threats and Cultural Hierarchy: The Critical Evaluation of The Monk and The Mysteries of Udolpho
Part Two: Gothic Sexualities
3. Pathological Reproduction: The Emergence of Homosexuality through Nineteenth Century Gothic Fiction
4. Romps in the Closet: The Persistence of Nineteenth Century Notions in Contemporary Pop Culture
Part Three: Gothic Ghosts
5. Ghost Stories and Ghostly Belief: Conventional Horrors That Make Good Truths
6. Ghost Epistemology: Five or Six Ways to Haunt the Senses
Part Four: Gothic Violence
7. Fictions That Kill: Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Stephen King's Only Out-of-Print Novel
8. Violent Self-Reflection: Natural Born Killers, Wes Craven's Nightmares, and Torture Porn
Chapter Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Bad Influences and Gothic Realities
Part One: Gothic Threats
1. The Threat in the Gothic's Foundation: From John Locke to Horace Walpole
2. Gothic Threats and Cultural Hierarchy: The Critical Evaluation of The Monk and The Mysteries of Udolpho
Part Two: Gothic Sexualities
3. Pathological Reproduction: The Emergence of Homosexuality through Nineteenth Century Gothic Fiction
4. Romps in the Closet: The Persistence of Nineteenth Century Notions in Contemporary Pop Culture
Part Three: Gothic Ghosts
5. Ghost Stories and Ghostly Belief: Conventional Horrors That Make Good Truths
6. Ghost Epistemology: Five or Six Ways to Haunt the Senses
Part Four: Gothic Violence
7. Fictions That Kill: Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Stephen King's Only Out-of-Print Novel
8. Violent Self-Reflection: Natural Born Killers, Wes Craven's Nightmares, and Torture Porn
Chapter Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index