Dangerous bodies: Historicising the gothic corporeal

by Marie Mulvey-Roberts

Through an investigation of the body and its oppression by the church, the medical profession and the state, this book reveals the actual horrors lying beneath fictional horror in settings as diverse as the monastic community, slave plantation, operating theatre, Jewish ghetto and battlefield trench.

The book provides original readings of canonical Gothic literary and film texts including The Castle of Otranto, The Monk, Frankenstein, Dracula and Nosferatu. This collection of fictionalised dangerous bodies is traced back to the effects of the English Reformation, Spanish Inquisition, French Revolution, Caribbean slavery, Victorian medical malpractice, European anti-Semitism and finally warfare, ranging from the Crimean up to the Vietnam War. The endangered or dangerous body lies at the centre of the clash between victim and persecutor and has generated tales of terror and narratives of horror, which function to either salve, purge or dangerously perpetuate such oppositions. This ground-breaking book will be of interest to academics and students of Gothic studies, gender and film studies and especially to readers interested in the relationship between history and literature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gothic

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2016

Reviews

[Hettie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally read parts of this for my MSc dissertation, but thought I should go back and read the rest. This book is an incredibly interesting look at contextualising Gothic fiction within the period it was written and drawing out what would have been noticeable themes at the time