Empire and the Gothic : The Politics of Genre

This innovative volume considers the relationship between the Gothic and theories of Post-Colonialism. Contributors explore how writers such as Salman Rushdie, Arunhati Roy and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala use the Gothic for postcolonial ends. Post-Colonial theory is applied to earlier Gothic narratives in order to re-examine the ostensibly colonialist writings of William Beckford, Charlotte Dacre, H. Rider Haggard and Bram Stoker. Contributors include Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, David Punter and Neil Cornwell. This Volume Considers The Relationship Between The Gothic And Theories Of Post-colonialism. Contributors Explore How Writers Such As Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy And Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Use The Gothic For Post-colonial Ends. Introduction: Enlightenment Gothic And Postcolonialism / Andrew Smith And William Hughes -- Discovering Eastern Horrors : Beckford, Maturin, And The Discourse Of Travel Literature / Massimiliano Demata -- Charlotte Dacre's Postcolonial Moor / Kim Ian Michasiw -- Frankenstein And Devi's Pterodactyl / Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak -- Pushkin And Odoevsky : The 'afro-finnish' Theme In Russian Gothic / Neil Cornwell -- A Singular Invasion : Revisiting The Postcolonialism Of Bram Stoker's Dracula / William Hughes -- Beyond Colonialism : Death And The Body In H. Rider Haggard / Andrew Smith -- Horror, Circus And Orientalism / Helen Stoddart -- Burning Down The Master's (prison)-house : Revolution And Revelation In Colonial And Postcolonial Female Fiction / Carol Margaret Davison -- Crossing Boundaries : The Revision Of Gothic Paradigms In Heat And Dust / Mariaconcetta Costantini -- The Ghastly And The Ghostly : The Gothic Farce Of Farrell's Empire Trilogy / Victor Sage -- Arundhati Roy And The House Of History / David Punter -- The Number Of Magic Alternatives : Salman Rushdie's 1001 Gothic Nights / Andrew Teverson -- Coetzee And The Animals : The Quest For Postcolonial Grace / Dominic Head. Edited By Andrew Smith And William Hughes. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction: The Enlightenment Gothic and Postcolonialism....Pages 1-12 Discovering Eastern Horrors: Beckford, Maturin and the Discourse of Travel Literature....Pages 13-34 Charlotte Dacre’s Postcolonial Moor....Pages 35-55 Frankenstein and Devi’s Pterodactyl....Pages 56-68 Pushkin and Odoevsky: the ‘Afro-Finnish’ Theme in Russian Gothic....Pages 69-87 A Singular Invasion: Revisiting the Postcoloniality of Bram Stoker’s Dracula ....Pages 88-102 Beyond Colonialism: Death and the Body in H. Rider Haggard....Pages 103-117 Horror, Circus and Orientalism....Pages 118-135 Burning Down the Master’s (Prison)-House: Revolution and Revelation in Colonial and Postcolonial Female Gothic....Pages 136-154 Crossing Boundaries: the Revision of Gothic Paradigms in Heat and Dust ....Pages 155-171 The Ghastly and the Ghostly: the Gothic Farce of Farrell’s ‘Empire Trilogy’....Pages 172-191 Arundhati Roy and the House of History....Pages 192-207 The Number of Magic Alternatives: Salman Rushdie’s 1001 Gothic Nights....Pages 208-228 Coetzee and the Animals: the Quest for Postcolonial Grace....Pages 229-244 Back Matter....Pages 245-248 Enlightenment Gothic and postcolonialism / Andrew Smith and William Hughes Discovering Eastern horrors : Beckford, Maturin, and the discourse of travel literature / Massimiliano Demata Charlotte Dacre's postcolonial moor / Kim Micasiw Frankenstein and Devi's pterodactyl / Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak Pushkin and Odoevsky : the 'Afro-Finnish' theme in Russian Gothic / Neil Cornwell A singular invasion : revisiting the postcoloniality of Bram Stoker's Dracula / William Hughes Beyond coloniality : death and the body in H. Rider Haggard / Andrew Smith Horror, circus, and orientalism / Helen Stoddart Burning down the master's (prison)-house : revolution and revelation in colonial and postcolonial female Gothic / Carol Davison Crossing boundaries : the revision of Gothic paradigms in Heat and dust / Mariaconcetta Costantini The ghastly and the ghostly : the Gothic farce of Farrell's Empire trilogy / Victor Sage Arundhati Roy and the house of history / David Punter The number of magic alternatives : Salman Rushdie's 1001 Gothic nights / Andrew Teverson Coetzee and the animals : the quest for postcolonial grace / Dominic Head. This innovative volume considers the relationship between the Gothic and theories of postcolonialism. The contributors explore how writers including Salman Rushdie, Arunhati Roy and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala use the Gothic in order to represent images of colonial power against which a postcolonial identity is asserted. Postcolonial theory is applied to earlier Gothic narratives in order to re-examine, and so critically reinvigorate, the ostensibly colonialist writings of William Beckford, Charlotte Dacre, H. Rider Haggard and Bram Stoker. One central issue is how later writers respond to, and so renegotiate, earlier Gothic constructions of a postcolonial politics, one which, paradoxically, has its roots in the colonial context of the late eighteenth-century. This volume brings together scholarship on the Gothic and scholarship on postcolonialism in new, radical ways. Contributors include Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, David Punter and Neil Cornwell The first of the two quoted above, A famous section of Byron's note to The Giaour, indicates an important aspect of William Beckford's Vathek (1786).