Gothic Tradition / Edition 1

by John Smart

Overview

This new series explores the contextual study of texts by concentrating on key periods, topics, themes, and comparisons in literature, rather than on individual authors or texts, thus emphasizing the need to understand writing and writers within their literary, historical, and social contexts. Cambridge Contexts in Literature can be used for directed classroom teaching and for self-study. A variety of activities and questions, the use of study aids such as chronologies and glossaries, and the inclusion of anthology sections exemplify issues and provide extensive background support to the topics studied.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900521777321
Publication date:	06/26/2000
Pages:	130
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction	5
1	Approaching the gothic tradition	8
	The historical context	8
	Gothic influences	10
	The political context	15
	The spiritual context	18
	Gothic literary forms and audiences	22
	Gothic writers and readers	28
	The contemporary context	31
	Contemporary gothic literature	32
	The gothic cinema	36
	Gothic music	38
	Other gothic media	38
	Gothic dangers	39
	Gothic Whitby	40
	Assignments	43
2	Approaching the texts	46
	Textual characteristics of the gothic	46
	Gothic fascination for the past	47
	The sublime and supernatural in the gothic	49
	Gothic psychology	51
	Gothic horror	53
	Gothic settings	54
	Gothic style	56
	Assignments	58
3	Texts and extracts	60
	from The Castle of Otranto	60
	from Vathek	62
	from The Monk	64
	from The Italian	70
	from 'Christabel'	74
	from Frankenstein	76
	from Northanger Abbey	77
	'La Belle Dame sans Merci'	81
	'The Raven'	82
	from Wuthering Heights	86
	from Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde	87
	from Dracula	90
	from The Woman in Black	92
4	Critical approaches	95
	The nature of literary criticism	95
	Historical survey of critical approaches to the gothic	96
	Survey of contemporary critical approaches to the gothic	100
	Assignments	110
5	How to write about the gothic	112
	A sense of genre	112
	An appreciation of purpose	114
	Insights into audience	115
	Assignments	117
6	Resources	120
	Chronology	120
	Further reading	121
	Glossary	126
	Index	127