History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

A Companion to the Gothic (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture (Paper))

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A Companion to the Gothic (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture (Paper))

Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0631231994

Book Description

The Gothic has become in recent years an enormously popular and respected field of study. Courses dealing wholly or partly with Gothic writing are now standard in English and cultural studies departments across the world. In response to this extraordinary growth and expansion, David Punter has compiled a Companion designed to become the standard reference work for scholars and students. As well as providing a series of stimulating insights into Gothic writing, its history and genealogy, the volume also offers comprehensive coverage of criticism of the Gothic and of the various theoretical approaches it has inspired and spawned.The Companion consists of 25 substantial essays, arranged in five sections: Gothic Backgrounds; The Original Gothic; Nineteenth- and Twentieth-century Transmutations; Ideas about the Gothic; and the Continuing Debate. These are accompanied by a substantial introduction and a bibliography of primary and secondary materials.Each essay is written by a leading scholar in the field. In addition to providing accounts of major authors and texts, the essays explore European and American dimensions of Gothic; Gothic painting; the British ghost story; horror fiction; psychoanalytic, historicist and feminist approaches to the Gothic; Gothic cinema; and issues of counterfeit, madness and magic realism in relation to Gothic materials.

The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

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An Good Start to the Gothic

The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521794668

Book Description

Fourteen world-class experts on the Gothic provide thorough accounts of this haunting-to-horrifying genre from the 1760s to the end of the twentieth century. Essays explore the connections of Gothic fictions to political and industrial revolutions, the realistic novel, the theater, Romantic and post-Romantic poetry, nationalism and racism from Europe to America, colonized and post-colonial populations, the rise of film, the struggles between "high" and "popular" culture, and changing attitudes towards human identity, life and death, sanity and madness. The volume also includes a chronology and guides to further reading.

Customer Reviews:

An Good Start to the Gothic.......2007-01-05

This book is a wonderful start to anyone wanting to look at the idea of the Gothic. I'm a graduate student in English, and this book has been a great tool in helping me with my course work. The book gives you a good overview of the various types and periods of Gothic, including the more modern topics such as films and video games. It is a good starting off point that can help direct your scholarship in the right direction, as well as making you literate as to what exactly the Gothic is and where it has been. I highly recommend it.

Victorian Gothic House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book

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Victorian Gothic House Style
Victorian Gothic House Style

Victorian Gothic House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book
Linda Osband
Manufacturer: David & Charles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0715309692

Book Description

With its admirable purity of design and skillful crafting, Victorian Gothic took its cue from medieval ecclesiastical buildings in northern Europe. Through this highly illustrated source--with over 500 photographs, some from original catalogues and others specially commissioned--anyone can recreate the feel of a 19th century Gothic revival style home. From steeply pitched roofs topped by turrets, towers, and chimney-stacks to beautiful natural materials to intricate carvings, every detail will fascinate and inspire.

Customer Reviews:

Victorian Gothic House Style.......2001-07-19

Linda Osband has done an admirable job of collecting images from England and the United States to help illustrated the Gothic Revival Movement. What she falls short on in text she makes up for in picture and engravings. It is not as comprehensive as I was hoping and there are some areas that I would have appreciated a more in-depth explanation: facades and furniture that identify the period being top of the list. The samples she has for gothic kitchens are modern but she supplements them with appliance advertisements from the 1870s-1890s. This helps identify what was used during this time, not necessarily practical now. She also incorporates the use of advertisements for tile samples and patterns that were available as well as ironwork. She covers all aspects of Gothic Revival from the outside to the interior to the furniture to the conservatory. Overall, there are some good ideas and good reading to be found if you are planning on restoring a residence or creating a period dollhouse. Highly recommend.

Victorian Gothic House Style.......2001-07-19

Arts & Crafts Masterpieces (Architecture 3s)

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Arts & Crafts Masterpieces (Architecture 3s)
Trevor Garnham
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
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ASIN: 0714838764

Average customer rating:

The architects that lived in those years were brillant.

Gothic Style
Kathleen Mahoney
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810933810

Customer Reviews:

The architects that lived in those years were brillant........1999-02-12

Everyone that loves Architecture will admire this work. Know the past to make a better future.

Average customer rating:

a rather tepid hodgepodge of weirdness..
Some great stories, some lame
A Better Name Would Be American Tales of the Weird
Amazing collection of gothic tales...
Insane Stories

American Gothic Tales
Various
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0452274893

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"Many of the writers in this volume are not 'gothic' writers but simply--writers. Their inclusion here is meant to suggest the richness and magnitude of the gothic-grotesque vision and the inadequacy of genre labels if by 'genre' is meant mere formula." So writes Joyce Carol Oates in a historical introduction to this anthology of 46 tales--tales that span a range from the Puritan paranoia of Charles Brockden Brown (1798) to the biological surrealism of Nicholson Baker (1994). Some critics have written that the gothic sensibility has no relevance in contemporary literature: by showing how gothic tales portray the all-too-current phenomenon of "assaults on individual identity and autonomy," Oates proves them wrong. I predict this will in time be considered a classic and influential anthology.

Customer Reviews:

a rather tepid hodgepodge of weirdness.........2007-07-05

Since I love gothic novels I eagerly dove into 'American Gothic Tales', a large collection of gothic short stories. And with Joyce Carol Oates as the editor I thought for sure this book would be terrific. Well, it wasn't. Not even close.

While it is hard to write a singular review of so many varied stories, let me say that hardly any of the stories were memorable. Worse, some of the stories were almost incomprehensible. As with other collections of short stories, I would have greatly appreciated some blurb by the editor in front of each story explaining its significance. Instead we have dozens of stories smashed together without interruption, with no real pattern to them.

Bottom line: I found very few jewels in this otherwise dull collection of stories. Not recommended.

Some great stories, some lame.......2007-04-10

I was rather disappointed in this book. Some of the stories were great. Most were unimpressive and a couple I would not have called 'gothic' by any definition I know of. I would instead reccomend the Oxford book of Gothic Short Stories.

A Better Name Would Be American Tales of the Weird.......2005-05-03

I don't necesarily agree with Joyce Carol Oates' defintion of Gothic literature in her introduction or that all of the stories in this collection are Gothic. The editor does a good job on the back cover, in her biographic section, and in the final page, of trying to advertise herself as being not only a "genius" but "rank[ing] on the spine-tingling chart with the masters". I beg to disagree.

Traditionally, Gothic literature deals with the dark and mysterious and with the tortured soul. I had great difficulty seeing some of these stories as being gothic at all. Some of these stories would better fit the category of "tales of the weird", but some don't even fit in that category. For example, there's a two-page story of a man leaving his wife and trying to wrest the baby from her arms in the dark. There's another with two men in a spaceship contemplating life. Another is merely a story of someone tripping on drugs.

Granted, there are some good gothic and weird stories here. The stories are placed in the book chronologically. Many of the earlier stories are anti-climatic with endings that are little more than a tiny "Boo!" (if that). Such a story is Oates' own attempt at a gothic story, "The Temple". Others are page-turners. In trying to put in some more obscure stories, she's left out better ones by the same author. For example, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" would have been a better Gothic literature choice for displaying Nathaniel Hawthorne's talents. And authors like H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, who greatly inspired writers of this genre, should have more inclusions in the book.

If this book were to truly be a book of good gothic literature, the following stories would remain (favorites starred): *Brown's exerpt from Wieland, *Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", Hawthorne's "The Man of Adamant" and "Young Goodman Brown", Poe's "The Black Cat", Perkin's "The Yellow Wallpaper", James' The Romance of Certain Old Clothes", Bierce's "The Damned Thing", *Wharton's "Afterward", Anderson's "Death in the Woods", *Lovecraft's "The Outsider", Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", Derleth's "The Lonesome Place", *Jackson's "The Lovely House", *Cheever's "The Enormous Radio" (more twilight zone than gothic), *Bradbury's "The Veldt" (more science fiction than gothic), Doctorow's "The Waterworks", *L'Heureux's "The Anatomy of Desire", Oates' "The Temple", *Rice's "Freniere", Millhauser's "In the Penny Arcade", *King's "The Reach", Johnson's "Exchange Value" (good but not really gothic), *Crowley's "Snow", *Ligotti's "The Last Feast of the Harlequin" (a wonderful story in memory of Lovecraft), *Tuttle's "The Replacements", *Etchemendy's "Cat in Glass", and Baker's "Subsoil".

Even though I felt that some of the selections for this anthology were poor choices, the good selections makes this a worthwhile read. Had she replaced the non-gothic and anti-climatic stories with more good stories by the above authors, the book would have been perfect. I will definitely be looking more into works by some of the authors like Ligotti and Wharton. I will not, on the other hand, be seeking out works by the editor. Her self-advertisement has fallen upon deaf ears.

Amazing collection of gothic tales..........2004-11-26

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. All I knew was that some of the authors sparked my attention -- namely Joyce Carol Oates, one of my favorite writers, as the editor -- because I had no idea that said authors wrote gothic tales. This is one of the darkest, most thought-provoking and downright sinister short-story collections out there. The horror in the stories are like no other ones I have read. I still haven't been able to get some of these stories out of my head. My favorite stories are "The Black Cat," by Edgar Allen Poe; "Afterward," by Edith Wharton; "Freniere," by Anne Rice; "In Bed One Night," by Robert Coover; and "Replacements," by Lisa Tuttle. This book definitely made an interesting read on my round trip train ride to be with family on Thanksgiving. American Gothic Tales enthralled me from beginning to end. I highly recommend this collection to those who are in the bargain for literary gothic stories written by literature's biggest names from yesterday and today.

Insane Stories.......2004-11-26

This is an odd collection of stories. Most of the stories are of insane people. If it was otherwise, I guess that they would not be 'gothic'. I was rather impressed with the Steven King story,and "The Glass Cat". Some were a bit beyond me. E. B. White's "The Door" was a weird story that while making some sense, in the end was confusing.

Charles Brockden Brown : Three Gothic Novels : Wieland / Arthur Mervyn / Edgar Huntly (Library of America)

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Wieland . . . a wonderfully written story
Dark Patriarch
a seminal classic
Almost good enough
Almost good enough

Charles Brockden Brown : Three Gothic Novels : Wieland / Arthur Mervyn / Edgar Huntly (Library of America)
Charles Brockden Brown
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883011574

Amazon.com

O! What splendid fortune that the Library of America should be so generous as to rescue from the mists of oblivion such an author as Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810). This son of Pennslyvania Quakers was sent forth to obtain an education in preparation for an eventual career in the law, but then he came upon the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Samuel Richardson, whose novels inspired Brown to embark upon a literary career of his own. Years of poverty and ill health--for young Brown was a consumptive--followed, and then, within a four-year period, he would produce seven novels, three of which have been gathered in this volume.

Here you will encounter a young man, newly arrived in the city of Philadelphia, caught in the grip of the yellow fever, whose employer is revealed as an adulterous, murderous fiend (Arthur Mervyn). You will be introduced to the protagonist of Edgar Huntly, whose efforts to unmask the killer of his best friend launch him into a somnabulent landscape drenched with the blood of cougars and Indians. And, in Wieland, you will confront, along with Clara, the dreadful threat posed by the master of ventriloquism! You may scoff at such terrors, O jaded reader, steeped in the demonic gore and Freudian underpinnings of contemporary horror and suspense, but know this--the outpourings of the fevered imagination of Charles Brockden Brown--who lived and wrote well before Poe, before Lovecraft--are a vital source of the power the Gothic continues to have over the American reader today. V.C. Andrews, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Patterson ... these and so many more (even, some whisper, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison) live under the gloomy shadow of Brown's melodramas. How long, reader, before you, too, have succumbed to their 18th-century charms?

Book Description

Prefiguring the work of Poe, Hawthorne, and Faulkner, as well as the entire tradition of American noir and horror, Brockden Brown was America's first professional novelist. This volume collects his most significant works: "Wieland; or The Transformation" (1798), about a religious fanatic preyed upon by a sinister ventriloquist; "Arthur Mervyn; Or, Memoirs of the Year 1793" (1799), with its devastating depiction of a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia; and "Edgar Huntly; or Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker" (1799), which recasts traditional Gothic themes in the American wilderness.

Customer Reviews:

Wieland . . . a wonderfully written story.......2005-09-12

Out of the three novels, I have only read Wieland, but if the other two are as good as this one, I would definitely be willing to read them.

Wieland is one of my all-time favorite books. This novel looks at how religion, the unexplainable (or seemingly unexplainable), and madness affect ordinary people. There are no monsters lurking in the shadows, but the novel does look at how people deal with horror in "real" situations.

Dark Patriarch.......2001-02-16

I was pleased to see that the editorial review of this (typically gorgeous) Library of America series entry stole my breath. Brockden Brown's fascinating and brutal gothic novels are the true foundation of what's dark about American literature. Perhaps even more irresponsible than Poe in his fascination with the grotesque (spontaneous combustion, anyone?), Brockden Brown long anticipates Poe and Freud (and Faulkner and Jackson and ...) in his bleak explorations of our most terrible fears, and our worst secrets. Without scenes like the axe murder in "Wieland," would we have King's (or Kubrick's) "The Shining"? Impossible. Let's hope that the Library of America will add a Volume 2 to this one, including Brockden Brown's lesser known (and impossible to find) works like "Ormond."

a seminal classic.......2000-10-01

Charles Brockden Brown is known as the "Father of the American novel" and is considered to be our first professional author. At least by those who do consider him at all. To be perfectly frank, I'd never really heard of the guy before now. But this excellent gothic tale, which was based on the true story of a farmer who thought that angels had commanded him to kill his own family, is so clearly the forerunner of the fiction of everyone from Hawthorne and Melville to Poe and Henry James to H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard right on up to Shirley Jackson and Stephen King, that it is hard to believe that his work is not better known nor taught more often.

Wieland, his first novel, tells the story of a religious fanatic who builds a temple in the seclusion of his own farm, but then is struck dead, apparently by spontaneous combustion. Several years later, his children, in turn, begin to hear voices around the family property, voices which alternately seem to be commanding good or evil and which at times imitate denizens of the farm. Are the voices somehow connected to a mysterious visitor who has begun hanging around? Are they commands from God? From demons? Suffice it to say things get pretty dicey before we find out the truth.

This is a terrific creepy story which obviously influenced the course of American fiction. Brown develops an interesting serious theme of the role that reason can play in combating superstition and religious mania, but keeps the action cranking and the mood deliciously gloomy. The language is certainly not modern but it is accessible and generally understandable. It's a novel that should be better known and more widely read, if not for historical reasons then just because it's great fun.

GRADE: A

Almost good enough.......1999-03-13

The Library of America is providing a valuable service to all devotees of American literature by providing reliable texts of so many important American writers. Here, they have done an excellent job of presenting the three best novels of America's first professional novelist. However, Brown only wrote six novels altogether, and anyone who cares about "Wieland," "Edgar Huntly," and "Arthur Mervyn" will probably also want "Ormond" in the package, as well as the fragments "Memoirs of Stephen Calvert" and "Memoirs of Carwin, the Biloquist."

Almost good enough.......1999-03-13

Average customer rating:

Gives you a good understanding of Gothic Literature
The Perfect Introduction
Why I like Fred Botting

Gothic (The New Critical Idiom)
Fred Botting
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415092191

Book Description

Gothic offers a lucid and accessible introduction to the Gothic genre, tracing the darkly terrific shapes and developments of a transgressive literary practice which has thrived for over two centuries. Fred Botting explores a number of key texts, their origins and writers, and discusses them in the context of their cultural and historical location, their critical reception and their influence.

Botting's concise introduction examines a remarkably wide and diverse range of authors and critics, varying from such artists as Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker to Angela Carter and David Lynch. Gothic focuses on the various styles and forms of the genre and analyzes the cultural significance of its prevalent figures--the ghosts, monsters, vampires, doubles and horrors that are its definitive features. Botting traces its history from its origins in the 18th century through its modernist and postmodernist representations, highlighting the ways Gothic figures have continued to shadow the progress of modernity, always displaying the underside of human values. He offers a broad overview of the themes, images and effects that not only define the genre, but also endure and re-appear endlessly in both "high" and "popular" literature and culture.

Customer Reviews:

Gives you a good understanding of Gothic Literature.......2004-05-14

This is an excellent starting point for those interested in getting a very broad but thorough understanding of Gothic literature. After reading this, you will feel confident in knowing the backbone of Gothic and what it entails.

(I might also add that this is a very well-written book; the author is easy to read and very knowledgeable.)

The Perfect Introduction.......2003-08-18

This is the perfect introduction to a study of both Gothic Literature and, by extension, 20th Century horror literature and cinema. The author walks a fine line between academic and accessible and keeps things moving along at a nice pace, covering 250 years in under 200 pages. The book is part of the Routledge "New Critical Idiom" series that sums up concepts from literary and critical theory in nice digestible servings. If you are an undergrad looking for a place to start your research or a non-academic who isn't afraid to get a little theoretical, I'd recommend this book highly.

Why I like Fred Botting.......1999-12-31

This book is fabulous if you are looking for a historical survey of Gothic which does not lose itself in the labyrinth of feminist theory. However, I think Botting spreads himself a bit too thin in attempting to cover works like Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" in one sentence. I loved this book for bringing out the evolution of Gothic from early works to the present.

The Gothic (Blackwell Guides to Literature)

Average customer rating:

Good overview of Gothic themes

The Gothic (Blackwell Guides to Literature)
David Punter , and Glennis Byron
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0631220631

Book Description

This guide provides an overview of the most significant issues and debates in Gothic studies.The guide is divided into four parts:The opening section explains the origins and development of the term 'Gothic ', considers the particular features of the Gothic within specific periods, and explores its evolution in both literary and non-literary forms, such as art, architecture and film.The following section contains extended entries on major writers of the Gothic, pointing to the most significant features of their work.The third section features authoritative readings of key works, ranging from Horace Walpole 's The Castle of Otranto to Bret Easton Ellis 's American Psycho.Finally, the text considers recurrent concerns of the Gothic such as persecution and paranoia, key motifs such as the haunted castle, and figures such as the vampire and the monster.Supplementary material includes a chronology of key Gothic texts, listing literature and film from 1757 to 2000, and a comprehensive guide to further reading.

Customer Reviews:

Good overview of Gothic themes.......2007-06-08

Here is a book that's a bit more conventional and will appeal to the average person with interest in Gothic themes. It highlights most aspects of Gothic and will give you a good, overall knowledge of the history of Gothic and where it is heading.

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