Where Angels Fear to Hover: Between the Gothic Disease and the Meataphysics of HorrorGothic and Horror have been perceived as intertwined ever since their coming into existence. Although initially emerging as clearly delineated literary genres, in the late 20th century we can speak of their transition into more open cultural categories. Gothic and Horror influences, previously limited to books and films, predominate in contemporary art, fashion, theatrical and performance art, video and multimedia installations, music, video and computer games. Gothic and Horror have invaded the language of politics and resulted in the formation of a number of subcultures styling their lives accordingly. The awareness of the above makes us realise that the insistence on the treatment of Gothic and Horror as separate genres is at least limiting, if not unacceptable. An alternative offered by this book, resulting from a thorough examination of the presence of Gothic and Horror conventions in contemporary culture, calls for an introduction of two new classificatory units, referred to in the book as Gothic and Horror syndromes, which can be brought down to the representations of disease and meat respectively. |
Contents
Acknowledgments PREFACE | 1 |
BEFORE ROSEMARY HAD HER BABY | 3 |
The Horror of Gothic | 5 |
Copyright | |
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19th century Alien anxiety artists audience Barker become blood Brite cannibalism characters Clive Barker Contemporary Gothic texts critics culture Dario Argento dark David Cronenberg death delusions depiction depression disease disorders Dracula emotional evil fantasy fear female body feminine fiction flesh Frankenstein gender genre Gilman Goth Goth subculture Gothic and Horror Gothic and Modern Gothic fiction Gothic heroes Gothic novels Grand Guignol haunt his/her Hollywood Gothic Horror fiction Horror films Horror texts human hysteria James O'Barr literature Living Dead London madness male mania masochism Massé meat melancholia Modern Horror monsters monstrous motifs murder narratives necrophilia Nightmare obsession one's patients plot Poppy Z popular quoted realised reality recognised representation resulting Satanic schizophrenia seen serial killer sexual significant skin story subculture submission supernatural syndrome terror theatre themes Tim Burton tion tradition transformation trauma Vampire victim Video Nasties violence visions woman women writes zombies