| Gothic Realities: The Impact of Horror Fiction on Modern Culture Contributor(s): Cooper, L. Andrew (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0786448350 ISBN-13: 9780786448357 Publisher: McFarland & Company OUR PRICE: $29.65 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2010 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Gothic & Romance - Literary Criticism | Semiotics & Theory |
| Dewey: 823.087 |
| LCCN: 2010020163 |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.9" W x 8.9" (0.65 lbs) 248 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher 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. |