Women and the Gothic: An Edinburgh Companion - Paperback

by Avril Horner (Editor), Sue Zlosnik (Editor)

A re-assessment of the Gothic in relation to the female, the 'feminine', feminism and post-feminism

This collection of newly commissioned essays brings together major scholars in the field of Gothic studies in order to re-think the topic of 'Women and the Gothic'. The 14 chapters in this volume engage with debates about 'Female Gothic' from the 1970s and '80s, through second wave feminism, theorisations of gender and a long interrogation of the 'women' category as well as with the problematics of post-feminism, now itself being interrogated by a younger generation of women. The contributors explore Gothic works - from established classics to recent films and novels - from feminist and post-feminist perspectives. The result is a lively book that combines rigorous close readings with elegant use of theory in order to question some ingrained assumptions about women, the Gothic and identity.

Key Features

• Revitalises the long-running debate about women, the Gothic and identity
• Engages with the political agendas of feminism and post-feminism
• Prioritises the concerns of woman as reader, author and critic
• Offers fresh readings of both classic and recent Gothic works

Back Jacket

***AUTHOR-APPROVED*** A re-assessment of the Gothic in relation to the female, the 'feminine', feminism and post-feminism This collection of newly commissioned essays brings together major scholars in the field of Gothic studies in order to re-think the topic of 'Women and the Gothic'. The 14 chapters in this volume encompass debates about the term 'Female Gothic', the legacy of second-wave feminism, developments in the theorisation of gender and the problematics of post-feminism, including challenges from a younger generation of women. The contributors explore Gothic works - from established classics to recent films and novels - from feminist and post-feminist perspectives. The result is a lively book that combines rigorous close readings with elegant use of theory in order to question some ingrained assumptions about women, the Gothic and identity. Key Features - Revitalises the long-running debate about women, the Gothic and identity - Engages with the political agendas of feminism and post-feminism - Prioritises the concerns of woman as reader, author and critic - Offers fresh readings of both classic and recent Gothic works Avril Horner is Emeritus Professor of English at Kingston University and Sue Zlosnik is Emeritus Professor of Gothic Literature at Manchester Metropolitan University. Among the books they have co-authored are Daphne du Maurier: Writing, Identity and the Gothic Imagination and Gothic and the Comic Turn (Palgrave Macmillan, 1998 and 2005).

Author Biography

Avril Horner is Emeritus Professor at Kingston University. Her publications include Women and the Gothic (Edinburgh University Press, 2016), edited with Sue Zlosnik, Living on Paper: The Letters of Iris Murdoch 1938-1995 (Chatto & Windus, 2015) and Iris Murdoch: Texts and Contexts (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), both edited with Anne Rowe.

Sue Zlosnik is Emeritus Professor of English at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her publications include Women and the Gothic (Edinburgh University Press, 2016) and Patrick McGrath in Gothic Authors: Critical Revisions series (University of Wales Press, 2011), both edited with Avril Horner and Gothic Kinship (Manchester University Press, 2013), edited with Agnes Andeweg.