Synopses & Reviews
Using psychoanalytic and Jungian archetypal theory, and sociohistorical contexts to analyze some of the major works of Gothic fiction, such as Frankenstein and Dracula, Clemens, a Research Affiliate with the University of Manitoba, argues that, by stimulating a sense of primordial fear in readers, these novels dramatically call attention to collective and attitudinal problems society refuses to confront. She goes even further, suggesting that Gothic fiction actually facilitates social change by shocking its readers into action.
Synopsis
Exploring the psychological and political implications of Gothic fiction, Valdine Clemens focuses on some major works in the tradition: The Castle of Otranto, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, The Shining, and Alien. She applies both psychoanalytic theory and sociohistorical contexts to offer a fresh approach to Gothic fiction, presenting new insights both about how such novels work and about their cultural concerns.
Clemens argues that by stimulating a sense of primordial fear in readers, Gothic horror dramatically calls attention to collective and attitudinal problems that have been unrecognized or repressed in the society at large. Gothic fiction does more, however, than simply reflect social anxieties; it actually facilitates social change. That is, in frightening us out of our collective wits, Gothic fiction actually shocks us into using them in more viable ways."