Provides a scholarly account of the striking interplay between the Gothic and theory over two-and-a-half centuries

This collection provides a thorough representation of the early and ongoing conversation between Gothic and theory - philosophical, aesthetic, psychological and cultural - both in the many modes of Gothic and in many of the realms of theory now current in the modern world. Each essay focuses on a particular kind of theory-Gothic relationship, every one of which has a history and each of which is still being explored in enactments of the Gothic and of theory today.

Key Features

• Provides the first detailed discussion of the interrelationship between literary theory and the Gothic from the inception of the Gothic to the present day
• Enables students to connect what otherwise seem a wide variety of diverse phenomena, from the rise of philosophical 'emotivism' to poetic tales of terror and Gothic film
• Advances current scholarly investigation, by invigorating debates within both Gothic studies and literary theory.
• Makes connections between a wide variety of issues, from eco-crisis and contemporary culture wars to the persistent problem of the 'other'