The Literature of Terror: History of Gothic Fiction from 1765 to the Present Day
by David Punter
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine Condition/Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0582489202
- ISBN 13
- 9780582489202
- Seller
-
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Longman & Co, London, 1980. First Edition. Hardcover (Original Cloth). Near Fine Condition/Near Fine. The Literature of Terror is a rich and fascinating book with two interlocking aims: first, to examine the extraordinary. diversity of the ways in which the fearful has been represented in English and American literature over the last two centuries; and, second, to explore the deeper implications of 'the Gothic' as a literary, cultural and social concept. It makes a convincing case for Gothic as more than just a faded historical curiosity, a routine repertory of stale tricks and tired shudders: it shows how the continuing attraction of the fearful can embody unperceived preoccupations at once truthful and profound. Gothic is a term which is still widely used by critics and writers - frequently to mean very different things. In his book, David Punter surveys the whole enormous field of Gothic literature, not only to illustrate its variety, but also to identify and define those qualities which constitute its Gothicness. He devotes chapters to the original eighteenth-century Gothic of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis and their contemporaries; on Gothicism in romantic poetry; on the historical Gothic of the early nineteenth century; on Frankenstein and Dracula as cultural myths; on the melodramatic fiction of Wilkie Collins and the Victorians; on aspects of the American Gothic tradition, and some leading practitioners of the ghost story; on the horror film; and on contemporary writers whose work exhibits characteristically Gothic features. He then goes on to use this immense range of material to argue that Gothic, often regarded as simply an escapist mode, in fact constitutes a rich, powerful and still vital language of images and styles in which to represent deep-rooted social and psychological fears. Anxieties about class and social hierarchy, for example, about the repression of emotion and the cruelty of the rational, about sex-roles and the suppression of femininity; about incompletely comprehended problems in familial relationships. By providing a language in which such tensions can be expressed and resolved, Gothic has a deep (and continuing) relevance to the inner life of society. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 254 pages. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. in archive acetate film protection. Dust Jacket un-clipped. Gilt titles spine. black cloth. Includes bibliography & index. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Books on Books; Horror; Fiction; Gothic Fiction; Literature & Literary. ISBN: 0582489202. ISBN/EAN: 9780582489202. Inventory No: 4766. . 9780582489202
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Details
- Bookseller
- Bookbarrow (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 4766
- Title
- The Literature of Terror: History of Gothic Fiction from 1765 to the Present Day
- Author
- David Punter
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover (Original Cloth)
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine Condition
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0582489202
- ISBN 13
- 9780582489202
- Publisher
- Longman & Co
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1980
- Keywords
- BZDB227 Books on Books/Literature & Literary/Gothic Fiction//Horror/Fiction Books on Books; Horror; Fiction; Gothic Fiction; Literature & Literary. Unbranded ISBN: 0582489202 EAN: 9780582489202 David Punter The Literature of Terror: History of G
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Bookbarrow
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About the Seller
Bookbarrow
Biblio member since 2014
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
About Bookbarrow
Private Premises by appointment only and various book fairs (see websites of "P.B.F.A." and "Missing Books" for details).
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...