The Return of the Repressed: Gothic Horror from The Castle of Otranto to Alien

by Valdine Clemens

Exploring the psychological and political implications of Gothic fiction, Valdine Clemens focuses on some major works in the The Castle of Otranto, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, The Shining, and Alien. She applies both psychoanalytic theory and sociohistorical contexts to offer a fresh approach to Gothic fiction, presenting new insights both about how such novels "work" and about their cultural concerns.

Clemens argues that by stimulating a sense of primordial fear in readers, Gothic horror dramatically calls attention to collective and attitudinal problems that have been unrecognized or repressed in the society at large. Gothic fiction does more, however, than simply reflect social anxieties; it actually facilitates social change. That is, in frightening us out of our collective "wits," Gothic fiction actually shocks us into using them in more viable ways.

Genres: Nonfiction

274 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Emma Whaley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too Freudian for my taste, I know that’s the main lens of the author, but it got annoying and hard to believe. Some chapters (Frankenstein, Dracula) too long while others (Shining, Alien) far too short. Wish it were centered more on Gothic technology, since that’s clearly what the author wants to talk about.

[Criss Vo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such a great collection of essays. The 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' essay was my favourite and very well-written as there was a good balance between historical context and analysis of the novella.

[PRJ Greenwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource and her chapters on The Monk and The Castle of Otranto were particularly good. The brief epilogue touches upon the film Alien and I wish this had been expanded into a proper chapter. Still, this is a solid resource for those interested in this field.

[InfiniteLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

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