David Punter

A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the Present Day. The Gothic tradition

The Literature of Terror

Lily

This one was very ambitious; although it can be said that Punter is one of the few scholars in the realm of Gothic literary criticism that is capable of facing the formidable challenge of marrying the established psychoanalytical reading of Gothic literature with a Marxist reading AND a feminist reading. The sheer volume of works and authors that are studied matches up to this ambition as well, and in my opinion (before having read the second volume) it is this vast scope that is the "selling point" of these books, more than the analytical depth. This is, of course, not to say that analytical vantage points of the book are shallow, but I do think that often, Punter seems at least unwilling to develop certain propositions and concepts beyond commenting that they are "interesting", nodding the reader towards accepting that they can be studied through a Marxist or Freudian or feminist lens, and then promptly dropping it. But I did enjoy it, and Punter's prose is always sharp and concise.

The Literature of Terror A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the Present Day. The Gothic tradition

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