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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.
About the author
Clive Bloom is Professor in Residence at Hull University, Emeritus Professor at Middlesex University, UK, and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Western Timisoara, Romania. A feature writer for The Financial Times, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Irish Times and the London Evening Standard, he is the author of many books on topics from literature to politics, including the London political histories Violent City (2003) and Riot City (2012). An editor of series on crime and the Gothic for multiple publishers and an international key-note speaker, Bloom has won a Bram Stoker Award, been shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award and curated exhibitions on Jack the Ripper and the Siege of Sidney Street for the Museum of London.
