The Gothic, Romanticism's gritty older sibling, has flourished in myriad permutations since the eighteenth century. In "Gothicka", Victoria Nelson identifies the revolutionary turn it has taken in the twenty-first century. Today's Gothic has fashioned its monsters into heroes and its devils into angels. It is actively reviving supernaturalism in popular culture, not as an evil dimension divorced from ordinary human existence but as part of our daily lives. To explain this millennial shift away from the traditionally dark Protestant post-Enlightenment Gothic, Nelson studies the complex arena of contemporary Gothic subgenres that take the form of novels, films, and graphic novels. She considers the work of Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer, graphic novelists Mike Mignola and Garth Ennis, Christian writer William P. Young (author of "The Shack"), and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. She considers twentieth-century Gothic masters H. P. Lovecraft, Anne Rice, and Stephen King in light of both their immediate ancestors in the eighteenth century and the original Gothic - the late medieval period from which Horace Walpole and his successors drew their inspiration. Fictions such as the "Twilight" and "Left Behind" series do more than follow the conventions of the classic Gothic novel. They are radically reviving and reinventing the transcendental worldview that informed the West's premodern era. As Jesus becomes mortal in "The Da Vinci Code" and the child Ofelia becomes a goddess in Pan's Labyrinth, Nelson argues that this unprecedented mainstreaming of a spiritually driven supernaturalism is a harbinger of what a post-Christian religion in America might look like.
Gothicka
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £4.45
Trade in Gothicka: Vampire Heroes, Human Gods, and the New Supernatural for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £4.45, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Card, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"This highbrow yet accessible analysis of a genre dedicated to "outrageousness" and "lowbrow ways" will appeal to history, literature, and pop culture buffs in addition to studious devotees of the domain." -- Jillian Mandelkern, Library Journal, 15th April 2012
"A fun, well-written and original read that offers flashes of insight." -- Deborah D. Rogers, Times Higher Education, 19th April 2012
" [A] spirited examination of the role of pulp Gothic fiction in contemporary culture...Nelson's overview of the origins of the Gothic genre and its later ramification into sub-genres such as the ghost story, vampire tale, esoteric thriller and post-apocalyptic survival narrative is lively and sharp. She is equally at home discussing high and low art, and is at her most persuasive when tracing the literary evolution of specific motifs." --Elizabeth Lowry Wall Street Journal
...a broad study of contemporary supernatural or bizarre fantasy world, as found not only in the well-trodden territories of bestselling novels and films but also in video games, role playing activities, Internet fan sites and, especially, on the fringes of religious faith and New Age spirituality... ...Nelson knows her turf and...she gives the impression of being genuinely affectionate towards her disreputable subject matter. She is...thought-provoking and has clearly read more proper historians and solid thinkers than most pop-culture pundits." --Kevin Jackson, Literary Review, Sunday 1st July 2012
"The Gothic is now ubiquitous in post-millennial American popular culture, according to Victoria Nelson. In 'Gothicka'she shows how contemporary films, video games, graphic novels and television series have reinvented and transformed the Catholic iconography of the late medieval period..." --Max Fincher, Times Literary Supplement, Friday 16 November 2012
"The Gothic is now ubiquitous in post-millennial American popular culture, according to Victoria Nelson. In 'Gothicka'she shows how contemporary films, video games, graphic novels and television series have reinvented and transformed the Catholic iconography of the late medieval period..." --Max Fincher, Times Literary Supplement, Friday 16 November 2012
"A fun, well-written and original read that offers flashes of insight." -- Deborah D. Rogers, Times Higher Education, 19th April 2012
" [A] spirited examination of the role of pulp Gothic fiction in contemporary culture...Nelson's overview of the origins of the Gothic genre and its later ramification into sub-genres such as the ghost story, vampire tale, esoteric thriller and post-apocalyptic survival narrative is lively and sharp. She is equally at home discussing high and low art, and is at her most persuasive when tracing the literary evolution of specific motifs." --Elizabeth Lowry Wall Street Journal
...a broad study of contemporary supernatural or bizarre fantasy world, as found not only in the well-trodden territories of bestselling novels and films but also in video games, role playing activities, Internet fan sites and, especially, on the fringes of religious faith and New Age spirituality... ...Nelson knows her turf and...she gives the impression of being genuinely affectionate towards her disreputable subject matter. She is...thought-provoking and has clearly read more proper historians and solid thinkers than most pop-culture pundits." --Kevin Jackson, Literary Review, Sunday 1st July 2012
"The Gothic is now ubiquitous in post-millennial American popular culture, according to Victoria Nelson. In 'Gothicka'she shows how contemporary films, video games, graphic novels and television series have reinvented and transformed the Catholic iconography of the late medieval period..." --Max Fincher, Times Literary Supplement, Friday 16 November 2012
"The Gothic is now ubiquitous in post-millennial American popular culture, according to Victoria Nelson. In 'Gothicka'she shows how contemporary films, video games, graphic novels and television series have reinvented and transformed the Catholic iconography of the late medieval period..." --Max Fincher, Times Literary Supplement, Friday 16 November 2012
About the Author
Victoria Nelson is an essayist and fiction writer who teaches in the Goddard College graduate program in creative writing.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book could have been written by a first-year university student. Actually, make that a final year high school student.
In the book's introduction the author states that she did not write an analysis of the history of Gothic literature, its place in pop culture and its possible influences on religion, but wrote an "intuitive" work. This means many of the arguments she presents are rarely supported by evidence or any supporting arguments: a failure of any academic thesis.
The author has also made some basic errors presenting this work. Her main thesis is that Gothic-influence pop culture is producing a change in mainstream religion, moving away from traditional Christianity.
In doing so she ignores every other religion in the world - such as Islam and Judaism; assumes that what is occurring in part of north America is true for the entire Western world; ignores the rise of fundamentalist and evangelic religions; the traditional form of Catholicism practiced in South America and non-traditional versions growing in Africa; and makes the fundamental error that a correlation between events means one event is causing the other - she believes that horror in pop culture is turning from a negative, dark form of storytelling, into a positive, bright one, and so is changing religion from a structured, formal belief system to one based on personal spiritual experiences - yet offers no solid evidence for this, except highly selective readings and interpretations from popular literature.
The book is also littered with factual errors, especially when the writer quoting or provides synopses of works in order to support her arguments.... Read more ›
In the book's introduction the author states that she did not write an analysis of the history of Gothic literature, its place in pop culture and its possible influences on religion, but wrote an "intuitive" work. This means many of the arguments she presents are rarely supported by evidence or any supporting arguments: a failure of any academic thesis.
The author has also made some basic errors presenting this work. Her main thesis is that Gothic-influence pop culture is producing a change in mainstream religion, moving away from traditional Christianity.
In doing so she ignores every other religion in the world - such as Islam and Judaism; assumes that what is occurring in part of north America is true for the entire Western world; ignores the rise of fundamentalist and evangelic religions; the traditional form of Catholicism practiced in South America and non-traditional versions growing in Africa; and makes the fundamental error that a correlation between events means one event is causing the other - she believes that horror in pop culture is turning from a negative, dark form of storytelling, into a positive, bright one, and so is changing religion from a structured, formal belief system to one based on personal spiritual experiences - yet offers no solid evidence for this, except highly selective readings and interpretations from popular literature.
The book is also littered with factual errors, especially when the writer quoting or provides synopses of works in order to support her arguments.... Read more ›
By Shelagh Cox
Format:Hardcover
In 'Gothicka' Victoria Nelson's thesis is that "when the divine has been exiled from the table of serious art and intellectual discussion for well over a century, you have to look for it in what elite culture thinks of as trash." We live in a world of a vast vampire sub-culture and the re-invention of Halloween from a children's festival into a Gothick holy day, she tells us. She sees this as a shift in religious consciousness as gradual and profound as the move from Catholicism to Protestantism 400 years ago. Pointing out that 'The Da Vinci Code' has sold more than 80 million copies and been translated into more than forty languages, she sees the Gothick as what she calls a sub-zeitgeist.
Nelson's approach to a genre that's mostly hidden from serious critical appraisal by being relegated to the genre of popular culture, is original and compelling. Her coverage of different media is wide, she wears her impressive scholarship lightly and her wit is always subtle. She ends the book with a wish and a blessing. May the Gothick never lose its lowbrow ways or lose its ability to push us into territories that are totally unexpected, she says. Let me add: may you read this ground-breaking book.
Nelson's approach to a genre that's mostly hidden from serious critical appraisal by being relegated to the genre of popular culture, is original and compelling. Her coverage of different media is wide, she wears her impressive scholarship lightly and her wit is always subtle. She ends the book with a wish and a blessing. May the Gothick never lose its lowbrow ways or lose its ability to push us into territories that are totally unexpected, she says. Let me add: may you read this ground-breaking book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1 review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vampires, zombies and the new spirituality
21 May 2012
By HP Seaton
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This book is a must read for anyone who is fascinated by the rise of 'supernatural' creatures in popular culture, and what that means for religion (or spirituality, etc.) down the road. Ms. Nelson is particularly gifted in making the 'insider only' culture that makes up a lot of sf and fantasy accessible. Her writing is strong and effortless, making reading about very convoluted ideas an enjoyable experience.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see the review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Art, Architecture & Photography
- Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Genre > Horror
- Books > History > Cultural History
- Books > History > Religious History > Other Religions
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Criticism & Theory
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film Genres > Horror
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film Genres > Science Fiction
- Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Occult > Supernatural
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Science & Religion
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
