History of the Gothic: American Gothic

Gothic Literary Studies

by Charles L. Crow

Defining the American gothic tradition both within the context of the major movements of intellectual history over the past three-hundred years, as well as within the issues critical to American culture, this comprehensive volume covers a diverse terrain of well-known American writers, from Poe to Faulkner to Toni Morrison and Cormac McCarthy. Charles L. Crow demonstrates how the gothic provides a forum for discussing key issues of changing American culture, explores forbidden subjects, and provides a voice for the repressed and silenced.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gothic, Literary Criticism, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is another good intro to the field but I think Crow gets a bit too carried away with diving into his examples and getting highly specific, rather than more thoroughly outline general trends and developments. nonetheless, highly recommend for everyone who’s new to the American Gothic and especially those who are looking for a display of the founding works that characterize it in various subgenres.

4/5

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer on American Gothic, if a bit snarky. For one, I don’t agree with Crow’s description of Frankenstein as “a flawed work but a brilliant idea” (4). I’m also confused why he references Michael Bay’s mediocre The Island instead of Ishiguro's far superior Never Let Me Go, which has a similar plot and was published before Bay’s movie.

[Joshua Buhs · Rating 2 out of 5]

A basic introduction that is probably too broad. The overwhelming impression is having a too-enthusiastic guide who points out everything that could conceivably be kind of, sort of related to the subject at hand.

Crow argues that the Gothic is the literature of the opposition--the hidden, destructive side of progress and freedom. Which is fair enough. Except that Crow then pushes the thesis backward and forward, rooting it in basic American literature--that of the original Pilgrims--and into every other conceivable nook and cranny of American literature. He goes so far as to say that noir is species of Gothic literature, which pushes the definition beyond the breaking point. Everything oppositional becomes Gothic.

He is not always so careless, and often just points to elements of Gothic that are present in American literature. His best section is probably the first, on the years before the Civil War. His second section, on the second half of the nineteenth century is too fragmented. Into the 20th century, he realizes that the main thrust of Modernism pushed the Gothic aside, but he follows it into its more popular forms, spending time--as he should!--on Lovecraft.

There is no doubt that the Gothic genre is exceedingly important to American literature--and engine of much innovation, as he says--but he doesn't really grapple with why this is in the way that Victoria Nelson does in The Secret Life of Puppets and Gothika. Rather, it just is.

If you're looking for a reading list, or someone pointing out the Gothic in all kinds of other literature, this is a fine book. A serviceable introduction.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the HISTORY OF THE GOTHIC series of books chronicling gothic literature in various eras and locales; I've previously read the 18th century instalment which I enjoyed very much. AMERICAN GOTHIC begins with the dark roots of the genre in the 18th century before moving through to the 21st century in its description of the gothic in American literature. The section on early classic writers like Melville, Hawthorne and Poe is well analysed, with lots of intriguing examples, and this style continues admirably into the 20th century section. However, I did feel that something got lost about halfway through. The analysis becomes more superficial, and at times this just feels like plot descriptions of random titles the author has chosen, perhaps because of this book's brevity. I also question the presence of low quality fare like Michael Bay's THE ISLAND (2005) and Stephen King's CELL (2006), which only seem to be here because they were contemporaneous with the book's writing, when so much is missed out.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of the Gothic : American Gothic est un ouvrage introductif très intéressant pour quiconque souhaiterait en apprendre plus sur un genre marquant de la littérature (et pas juste aux États-Unis !). En faisant un parcours historique couvrant près de quatre siècles et présentant de nombreuses oeuvres, Charles Crow arrive à dresser un portrait finement conçu et fascinant du gothique américain, principalement dans la littérature, mais également dans la culture orale (folk tales, radio, etc.) et cinématographique.

Je conseille de le lire avec crayon et carnet de notes en main, parce que l'envie de lire les livres présentés (qu'ils soient oeuvres à l'étude ou encore appareillage théorique) devient rapidement très forte !

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as literary scholarship goes this book is both interesting and well written. It helps that I already was a acquainted with many of the stories that were being analyzed, but gained a contextualization of the genre that I did not have before reading this book.

[Isadora Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for anyone in need of a good overview of American literature and film from a Gothic perspective.