Review by Choice Review
In Gothic (CH, Mar'97, 34-3719), his seminal overview of gothic literature, Botting (Lancaster Univ., UK) marked the end of the gothic with Francis Ford Coppola's film Dracula (1992). He continues this idea here, again noting the film as the end of gothic as we know it. With its numerous discussions of complex critical theory, this volume is not for those unfamiliar with gothic literature. Citing Tom Cruise's portrayal of Lestat, Botting posits that the "Gothic other" has become the familiar. This theory is timely, corresponding with the current Twilight craze. The gothic still exists but it has changed appearance, as exemplified by Botting's keen observations equating the gothic with cosmetic surgery. Thus, Frankenstein's monster has been surgically altered to fit contemporary physical ideals. Botting takes issue with the Freudian idea that the uncanny is solely the return of the repressed, and states instead that the uncanny arose as a result of the Enlightenment. Once it was banished from everyday life, the supernatural became internalized. Botting provides excellent analyses of standard gothic works and of more unusual subjects (e.g., Orlan's "surgical art"). This text demonstrates that Botting continues to be a preeminent scholar of the gothic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. L. J. Larson Our Lady of the Lake University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
