Gothic Kinship

Gothic kinship is the first collection that investigates the nexus between Gothic and kinship figurations in a wide range of texts from different periods and different countries. What is it that makes certain forms of relatedness Gothic? In what sense may kinship be regarded as monstrous, or evil, or haunting? Although the preoccupation of Gothic fiction with the family has often been observed, these essays break new ground by bringing together case studies of Gothic kinship ties in film and literature and offering a synthesis and theorisation of the different appearances of the Gothic family.

Writers discussed include early British Gothic writers such as Eleanor Sleath and Louisa Sidney Stanhope as well as a range of later authors writing in English, including Elizabeth Gaskell, William March, Stephen King, Poppy Z. Brite, Patricia Duncker, J.K. Rowling and Audrey Niffenegger. There are also essays on Dutch authors (Louis Couperus and Renate Dorrestein) and on the film directors Wes Craven and Steven Sheil.

Arranged chronologically, the various contributions show that both early and contemporary Gothic display very diverse kinship ties, ranging from metaphorical to triangular, from queer to nuclear-patriarchal. Gothic proves to be a rich source of expressing both subversive and conservative notions of the family.

Gothic kinship will be of interest to academics, graduate students and advanced undergraduates working on the Gothic, English, American and Dutch studies in literature and film, gender studies and cultural studies.

Although the preoccupation of Gothic storytelling with the family has often been observed, it invites a more systematic exploration. Gothic kinship brings together case studies of Gothic kinship ties in film and literature and offers a synthesis and theorisation of the different appearances of the Gothic family.

Writers discussed include early British Gothic writers such as Eleanor Sleath and Louisa Sidney Stanhope as well as a range of later authors writing in English, including Elizabeth Gaskell, William March, Stephen King, Poppy Z. Brite, Patricia Duncker, J. K. Rowling and Audrey Niffenegger. There are also essays on Dutch authors (Louis Couperus and Renate Dorrestein) and on the film directors Wes Craven and Steven Sheil.

Arranged chronologically, the various contributions show that both early and contemporary Gothic display very diverse kinship ties, ranging from metaphorical to triangular, from queer to nuclear-patriarchal. Gothic proves to be a rich source of expressing both subversive and conservative notions of the family.

Gothic kinship will be of interest to academics and students of European and American Gothic in literature and film, gender studies and cultural studies.