Gothic Histories: The Taste for Terror, 1764 to the Present

by Clive Bloom

In the middle of the eighteenth century the Gothic became the universal language of architecture, painting and literature, expressing a love not only of ruins, decay and medieval pageantry, but also the drug-induced monsters of the mind.

By explaining the international dimension of Gothicism and dealing in detail with German, French and American authors, Gothic Histories demonstrates the development of the genre in every area of art and includes original research on Gothic theatre, spiritualism, 'ghost seeing' and spirit photography and the central impact of penny-dreadful writers on the genre, while also including a host of forgotten or ignored authors and their biographies.

Gothic Histories is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the Gothic and its literary double, the horror genre, leading the reader from their origins in the haunted landscapes of the Romantics through Frankenstein and Dracula to the very different worlds of Hannibal Lecter and Goth culture. Comprehensive and up-to-date, it is a fascinating guide to the Gothic and horror in film, fiction and popular culture.

Genres: Gothic, Nonfiction, 21st Century, History

211 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jade Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, nice overview and good to get a general picture of the ‘gothic sensibility’ but very surface level on many topics and the ending was quite weak imo

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this history of the gothic in architecture, literature, theatre, and film. I was mainly interested in gothic literature, and did gain a sense of how it developed and how the meaning of gothic symbols changed over time. I also got ideas for more books I need to read. However, I do wish it had been edited better. There were typos and grammar problems in every chapter, even in quotes from other books. The worst was the misspelling of Charlotte Perkins Gilman ("Charlotte Perkinds Gillman"--page 181). This is supposed to be an academic publisher!

Recommended despite the typos.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview of the gothic sensibility, from its origins in the mid-eighteenth century through its peak in the late eighteenth century, and on into its many afterlives, all the attenuated and reimagined forms it has taken ever since in popular culture. The closer he gets to the contemporary, the sketchier his discussions become, turning into essentially lists of authors and texts and creators and media by the final chapters. Not necessarily a book to start with if you are beginning to study the gothic, but a useful and readable supplement to more focussed studies of the form.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bloom tours his old chestnuts about the gothic.

I give it one star because Bloom twice, TWICE! tells us that Edgar A. Poe died in New York City.

I ask you...

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful introduction to Gothic literature. Provides a great overview of the history and culture that gave rise to the Gothic and suggestions for many interesting books/plays/poems to read and movies to watch.

[ilcm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book

[Arisa]

after further research this is not the best written or accurate but was my comfort book in high school

[Thaís Vasconcelos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textos, análises temporais e paralelos interessantes. Mas tudo que eu queria sobre as raízes do gótico eu achei na introdução do "Castelo de Otranto".

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/489bbtKMATM

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very wide-ranging, and it was quite interesting to think about Gothic in relation to film and contemporary writing, rather than the usual classics. However, I didn't feel he got the balance quite right - in some places there was too much detail and general pontification, while others went by in a flash. I didn't really feel he had a point to make - it was more, here are a load of stories about spooky stuff. It never really got beyond a glorified list. And I have to say, his prose style is diabolical. Far too many times I had to re-read a sentence, often concluding that it wasn't me, it just didn't make sense. Also spelling errors, and inconsistent spelling of author names - inexcusable. in a supposedly scholarly work. Continuum need to spend more on proofreading!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. I read it very slowly so I was sure to take everything in, since it contains such a wealth of information. It's mostly about gothic literature from the 18th and 19th centuries, which is a genre of literature I just love. It also touches on gothic theater (grand guignol and the like), movies, paintings and more modern interpretations of the genre. It covers a pretty broad range of gothic art, which makes it really interesting.