A New Companion to the Gothic - (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture) by David Punter (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The thoroughly expanded and updated New Companion to the Gothic, provides a series of stimulating insights into Gothic writing, its history and genealogy. The addition of 12 new essays and a section on 'Global Gothic' reflects the direction Gothic criticism has taken over the last decade.

• Many of the original essays have been revised to reflect current debates
• Offers comprehensive coverage of criticism of the Gothic and of the various theoretical approaches it has inspired and spawned
• Features important and original essays by leading scholars in the field
• The editor is widely recognized as the founder of modern criticism of the Gothic

From the Back Cover

From reviews of the previous edition:

"It offers a range of strategies for understanding the genre, and is an excellent resource for students, teachers, and scholars of the Gothic."

Gothic Studies

Gothic Studies"Useful to newcomer and scholar alike ... Punter's volume is sure to be a standard reference for some time."

Choice

Now thoroughly expanded and updated, this widely acclaimed Companion provides a series of stimulating insights into Gothic writing, its history, and its genealogy. The volume offers comprehensive coverage of criticism of the Gothic and of the various theoretical approaches it has inspired and spawned.

This new edition now contains twelve brand new essays; six of these constitute an additional part on "The Globalization of Gothic," which provides an invaluable reflection on the direction Gothic criticism has taken over the last decade. The additional six contributions cover the topics of Gothic Shakespeare, the Gothic ballad, the Gothic sublime, Gothic and the graphic novel, Goth culture, and the Gothic and hospitality. Original essays have, where necessary, been revised and updated to reflect the very latest debates in the discipline. The volume begins with a substantial introduction, individual chapters feature lists of primary and secondary bibliographic materials, and the essays are written by leading scholars in the field.

David Punter is widely recognized as the founder of modern criticism of the Gothic, and is therefore ideally placed to edit what has become the standard reference work for scholars and students of Gothic.

Review Quotes

From reviews of the previous edition:

"It offers a range of strategies for understanding the genre, and is an excellent resource for students, teachers, and scholars of the Gothic." Gothic Studies

"[Its] obvious value ... is its wealth of critical approaches - from good, old-fashioned 'history of ideas' readings to the most sophisticated of recent theory." Romanticism on the Net

"The book does not offer a house view of what Gothic is, but instead faithfully reproduces the status of current debates on the relevant genres. Many essays provide useful summaries of criticism or of primary texts; others offer new critical insights." Times Higher Education

"The individual essays are narrow enough to describe discrete topics but useful to newcomer and scholar alike ... Punter's volume is sure to be a standard reference for some time to come for undergraduates and scholars." Choice

"Anyone lucky enough to have this volume sitting on their shelves has instant access to the recent thinking of a long list of scholars who have led the way in Gothic studies. The book is a veritable Baedeker's guide that ranges from the historical Goths of the third century to Stephen King in the twentieth century; that explores dimensions of Gothic through painting and cinema, as well as written texts; that roams across Europe and America as well as the British Isles. Punter himself contributes a concise but stimulating introduction." Studies in Hogg and His World

About the Author

David Punter is Professor of English at the University of Bristol. He has written extensively on Gothic, romantic, and modern literature, literary theory, and psychoanalysis, as well as producing four volumes of poetry. His recent publications include The Gothic (with Glennis Byron, Blackwell, 2004), Metaphor (2007), Modernity (2007), and Rapture: Literature, Addiction, Secrecy (2009).