The Literature Of Terror: The Gothic Tradition, Volume 1

by David Punter

The first edition was regarded as the definitive survey of Gothic and related terror writing in English. No other text considers this genre on such a scale and covers the theoretical perspectives so comprehensively. In the latest edition, the broad range of theoretical perspectives has been enlarged to include modern critical theories. Volume One is a thoroughly updated edition of the original text, covering the period from 1765 up to the Edwardian age, exploring the richness and literary diversity of the gothic from the original eighteenth-century gothic of Ann Radcliffe to the melodramatic fiction of Wilkie Collins.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gothic, Horror, Literary Criticism, Research, History, Criticism

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was very ambitious; although it can be said that Punter is one of the few scholars in the realm of Gothic literary criticism that is capable of facing the formidable challenge of marrying the established psychoanalytical reading of Gothic literature with a Marxist reading AND a feminist reading. The sheer volume of works and authors that are studied matches up to this ambition as well, and in my opinion (before having read the second volume) it is this vast scope that is the "selling point" of these books, more than the analytical depth. This is, of course, not to say that analytical vantage points of the book are shallow, but I do think that often, Punter seems at least unwilling to develop certain propositions and concepts beyond commenting that they are "interesting", nodding the reader towards accepting that they can be studied through a Marxist or Freudian or feminist lens, and then promptly dropping it. But I did enjoy it, and Punter's prose is always sharp and concise.

[The Literary Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating for criticism and analysis of the seminal yet more obscure horror/gothic stories, like Melmoth The Wanderer, The Monk and others. It's a print on demand book, so don't expect to find it cheap even if it's a used paperback. Still went ahead and bought volume 2 though, for the analysis of works hard to find anywhere else (Peake, for instance).

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an insightful survey of Gothic literature, its origins in the middle of the 18th-c., and its development in the 19th-c.. Punter's argumentative style is clear and rigorous but not theoretically dense. The emphasis is on literary history rather than psychoanalysis or political economy, although interesting connections between these discourses are traced. The first chapters analyzing the origins of the Gothic are necessary reading for anyone interested in this literary tradition. Some later chapters, such as the one on Romanticism and the Gothic and the American Gothic, were somewhat schematic/introductory, but excellent beachheads for further reading. This is definitely worth reading and re-reading as you read the classic Gothic novels.

[Andrea Manzanilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído para la tesis.

[DO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating research that jump-
started modern Gothic studies.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only I had more time to read over it :(

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

useful introduction to the gothic with many interesting ideas to follow up on and discuss further.