Reviews for History of the Gothic: American Gothic (University of Wales Press - Gothic Literary Studies)...

The average rating for History of the Gothic: American Gothic (University of Wales Press - Gothic Literary Studies)... based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-11-01 00:00:00 Henry Maranan this is another good intro to the field but I think Crow gets a bit too carried away with diving into his examples and getting highly specific, rather than more thoroughly outline general trends and developments. nonetheless, highly recommend for everyone who’s new to the American Gothic and especially those who are looking for a display of the founding works that characterize it in various subgenres. 4/5

Review # 2 was written on 2015-05-23 00:00:00 Jacques Hobscheid A basic introduction that is probably too broad. The overwhelming impression is having a too-enthusiastic guide who points out everything that could conceivably be kind of, sort of related to the subject at hand. Crow argues that the Gothic is the literature of the opposition--the hidden, destructive side of progress and freedom. Which is fair enough. Except that Crow then pushes the thesis backward and forward, rooting it in basic American literature--that of the original Pilgrims--and into every other conceivable nook and cranny of American literature. He goes so far as to say that noir is species of Gothic literature, which pushes the definition beyond the breaking point. Everything oppositional becomes Gothic. He is not always so careless, and often just points to elements of Gothic that are present in American literature. His best section is probably the first, on the years before the Civil War. His second section, on the second half of the nineteenth century is too fragmented. Into the 20th century, he realizes that the main thrust of Modernism pushed the Gothic aside, but he follows it into its more popular forms, spending time--as he should!--on Lovecraft. There is no doubt that the Gothic genre is exceedingly important to American literature--and engine of much innovation, as he says--but he doesn't really grapple with why this is in the way that Victoria Nelson does in The Secret Life of Puppets and Gothika. Rather, it just is. If you're looking for a reading list, or someone pointing out the Gothic in all kinds of other literature, this is a fine book. A serviceable introduction.