Contemporary Gothic (Focus on Contemporary Issues

FOCI

by Catherine Spooner

Modern Gothic culture alternately fascinates, horrifies, or bewilders many of us. We cringe at pictures of Marilyn Manson, cheer for Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer , and try not to stare at the pierced and tattooed teens we pass on the streets. But what is it about this dark and morbidly morose aesthetic that fascinates us today? In Contemporary Gothic , Catherine Spooner probes the reasons behind the prevalence of the Gothic in popular culture and how it has inspired innovative new work in film, literature, music, and art. 

Spooner traces the emergence of the Gothic subculture over the past few decades and examines the various aspects of contemporary society that revolve around the grotesque, abject, and artificial. The Gothic is continually resituated in different spheres of culture, she reveals, as she explores the transplantation of the “street” Goth style to haute couture runway looks by fashion designers. The Gothic also appears in a number of surprisingly diverse representations, and Spooner considers them all, from the artistic excesses of Jake and Dinos Chapman to the fashions of Alexander McQueen, and from the mind-bending films of David Lynch to the abnormal postmodern subjects of Joel-Peter Witkin’s photography.

In an engaging way, Contemporary Gothic argues that this style ultimately balances a number of contradictions—the grotesque and incorporeal, authentic self-expression and campiness, mass popularity and cult appeal, comfort and outrage—and these contradictions make the Gothic a crucial expression of contemporary cultural currents. Whether seeking to understand the stories behind the TV show Supernatural or to extract deeper meanings from modern literature, Contemporary Gothic is a lively and virtually unparalleled study of the modern Gothic sensibility that pervades popular culture today.

Genres: Gothic, Nonfiction, Academia, Theory, Literary Criticism

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary Gothic by Catherine Spooner

Book 37/52

Favourite Quote: "Gothic is not preoccupied with the end of the world, but rather the end of innocence."

This was read for dissertation research but it was thoroughly interesting! I really enjoyed reading critical commentary on House of Leaves as that is one of my favourite horror novels of all time. The discussion of art within the 'Mock Gothic' chapter introduced me to The Chapman Family Collection, which is a brilliant installation. Generally this just gave me a great background understanding of the themes and motifs of contemporary Gothic - and even better, the author is from my university! :)

[Sina]

had a lot of fun reading this

[Berna Labourdette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro breve, pero muy interesante sobre lo que entendemos por gótico contemporáneo. La primera parte es un repaso por las características del gótico literario (pastiche, invento de un pasado que no existe, un pasado imaginario que vuelve una y otra vez) y la segunda parte son análisis a ciertos elementos góticos modernos ocupados en moda (Alexander McQueen), fotografía (Joel Peter Witkin) y televisión (Buffy, la cazavampiros), entre otros. Muy bien escrito y con fotografías que son un aporte. 

[Rebeca F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why I didn't love this book. It was interesting and I always feel there's not enough critical works about contemporary gothic, although that's slowly starting to change over the last years. I think probably the authors with which Spooner supported her work aren't my favorite critics about the subject and also, even though I agreed on some of her approaches, I wholeheartedly disagreed with others. Besides that, I think this book hasn't aged that well, even though it has just a bit more than 10 years, I think, but it seemed a bit outdated on the examples, or maybe it just tried to focus on more mainstream's creations and that was what created that effect. I mean, Buffy again?
Having said all that, it's still a really interesting book, well written, pretty approachable even for those without much knowledge of the subject.

[Emannuel K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leitura feita para minha pesquisa. O livro é particularmente interessante para quem se interessa pelo gótico como subcultura, a autora busca dar uma visão bastante ampla de como seus elementos perpassam aspectos da cultura contemporânea, e imagino que tenha um apelo considerável mesmo para um público jovem que se interesse pelo tema por motivos não-acadêmicos. Poderia ter ajudado mais na minha pesquisa se dedicasse mais tempo ao lado literário da coisa, mas ainda assim é uma leitura interessante.

[Paul M Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top study. Great read. Explains complex ideas in succinct ways.

[John Kinkade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember to use the intro for building a history of the Gothic--interesting ideas and sources. (Later chapters just not as interesting to me.)

[Mari Reads]

helpful when including more contemporary gothic works into the literary canon. Marilyn Manson was a jumpscare, though.

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because Catherine Spooner does not deny, as some do, the link between the Gothic genre and Gothic culture, nor does she look down upon the latter.

Spooner sees Gothic as a series of revivals, that question mainstream values. Beginning with the Gothic Revival architecture, that challenged Classicism, later the Gothic literature, that challenged ideas of comfort and progress. And, of course, the latest, the rise of the Gothic 'subculture' in the 80s.

This book looks at a range of topics, from the history of Gothic, through art, literature, film, advertising. It looks at the idea of Gothic as a visually rich culture of spectacle, that challenges our conventional sense of comfort, by challenging our assumptions, and reminding us how far we have not come.

Spooner states that the culture's self-reflexivity as well as it's ability to good-naturedly mock itself is part of what helps it to survive. She looks at how Gothic is consistently reinventing itself to deal with the traumas and the 'emptiness' of our age. I would love to see an updated version of this book including some new additions to issues she talked about, such as consumerism (the rise of gothic toys and entertainment for kids such as Monster High) and the 'danger of the vampire narrative falling prey to its own metaphor and being sucked dry of invigorating life, doomed to replicate itself as an empty cliche' (Twilight taking vampires away from gothic narratives into a simple high school romance setting.)EDIT: Apparently there is another book on the way, Post-Millenial Gothic!

Many interesting books, films and artworks are mentioned. Spooner has a real enthusiasm for her topic, and never stoops to mocking Gothic, rather writing with a sort of affection. I found this book both informed what I already knew and felt about Gothic, and also offered rich new insights.

While Spooner is an academic, the book is not too verbosely written for the normal reader. References to psycology and other theories are explained so that you don't have to know the books yourself. At 165 pages it is also concise, and shouldn't take too long to read.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in Gothic film, literature or culture. Actually, I think everyone should read this!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting analysis, built on the foundations of the 19th Century and working up to the present day.

It's also given me loads of new book and film recommendations.