Gothic Documents: A Sourcebook, 1700-1820E. J. Clery, Robert Miles Manchester University Press, 2000 - 306 pages In the 1790s, while across the Channel a political revolution raged, Britain was struck by a reading revolution, a taste for terror fiction that seemed to know no bounds. Ann Radcliffe and Monk Lewis were only the most celebrated of a host of writers purveying a new brand of Gothic literature. How is it that the age of Enlightenment gave rise to the genre of the literary ghost story? What did the term Gothic mean, when Horace Walpole used it in the subtitle of his experimental novel The Castle of Ontranto? How did a type of writing which broke all the rules of literary composition current at the time, gradually gain critical acceptance? What connections can be made between the aesthetic of terror and the terror of the French Revolution? What happened to Gothic after the decline of its popularity, during a period of political reaction? |
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admiration adventures ancient Ann Radcliffe apparition appeared bard Bargrave beautiful Burke Burke's Castle Castle of Otranto character chivalry constitution corruption critics dark delight Edmund Burke effect English essay fable fancy fear feelings feudal fiction genius German ghost Gothic Gothic fiction Gothic novel Goths Hamlet heart honour Horace Walpole horror human ideas imagination invention John Aikin king liberty lived London Macbeth mankind manners mind modern Monk Montesquieu moral Mysteries of Udolpho nations nature never night novel o'er object Old English Baron original pain passions persons pleasure poem poet poetical poetry political praeternatural principles produced reader reason Revolution romance scene secret sensibility sentiments Shakespeare society soul Source species spectre spirit story sublime supernatural superstition Tacitus tale taste terrible terror thee thing thou thought tion truth Veal virtue Whig whole wild William witches writing