Inventing the Gothic Corpse

The Thrill of Human Remains in the Eighteenth-Century Novel

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book Inventing the Gothic Corpse by Yael Shapira, Springer International Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Yael Shapira ISBN: 9783319764849
Publisher: Springer International Publishing Publication: May 22, 2018
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan Language: English
Author: Yael Shapira
ISBN: 9783319764849
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Publication: May 22, 2018
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Language: English

Inventing the Gothic Corpse shows how a series of bold experiments in eighteenth-century British realist and Gothic fiction transform the dead body from an instructive icon into a thrill device. For centuries, vivid images of the corpse were used to deliver a spiritual or political message; today they appear regularly in Gothic and horror stories as a source of macabre pleasure. Yael Shapira’s book tracks this change at it unfolds in eighteenth-century fiction, from the early novels of Aphra Behn and Daniel Defoe, through the groundbreaking mid-century works of Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding and Horace Walpole, to the Gothic fictions of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis, Charlotte Dacre and Minerva Press authors Isabella Kelly and Mrs. Carver.

In tracing this long historical arc, Shapira illuminates a hidden side of the history of the novel: the dead body, she shows, helps the fledgling literary form confront its own controversial ability to entertain. Her close scrutiny of fictional corpses across the long eighteenth century reveals how the dead body functions as a test of the novel’s intentions, a chance for novelists to declare their allegiances in the battle between the didactic and the “merely” pleasurable. 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Inventing the Gothic Corpse shows how a series of bold experiments in eighteenth-century British realist and Gothic fiction transform the dead body from an instructive icon into a thrill device. For centuries, vivid images of the corpse were used to deliver a spiritual or political message; today they appear regularly in Gothic and horror stories as a source of macabre pleasure. Yael Shapira’s book tracks this change at it unfolds in eighteenth-century fiction, from the early novels of Aphra Behn and Daniel Defoe, through the groundbreaking mid-century works of Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding and Horace Walpole, to the Gothic fictions of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis, Charlotte Dacre and Minerva Press authors Isabella Kelly and Mrs. Carver.

In tracing this long historical arc, Shapira illuminates a hidden side of the history of the novel: the dead body, she shows, helps the fledgling literary form confront its own controversial ability to entertain. Her close scrutiny of fictional corpses across the long eighteenth century reveals how the dead body functions as a test of the novel’s intentions, a chance for novelists to declare their allegiances in the battle between the didactic and the “merely” pleasurable. 

More books from Springer International Publishing

Cover of the book Chinese Global Production Networks in ASEAN by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Efficient Sensor Interfaces, Advanced Amplifiers and Low Power RF Systems by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Small-Signal Stability Analysis of Power Systems Integrated with Variable Speed Wind Generators by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Organotrifluoroborate Preparation, Coupling and Hydrolysis by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Teaching Professional Attitudes and Basic Clinical Skills to Medical Students by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Photonics by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Driving Service Productivity by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book From Particle Systems to Partial Differential Equations III by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Rechargeable Batteries by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Natural Resources and Control Processes by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book The Scottish Experience in Asia, c.1700 to the Present by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Career Paths in Telemental Health by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Creating the Future? The 1960s New English Universities by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Yael Shapira
Cover of the book Agricultural Development and Economic Transformation by Yael Shapira
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy