Gothicka : Vampire Heroes, Human Gods, and the New Supernatural

The Gothic, Romanticism's gritty older sibling, has flourished in myriad permutations since the eighteenth century. In __Gothicka,__ Victoria Nelson identifies the revolutionary turn it has taken in the twenty-first. Today's Gothic has fashioned its monsters into heroes and its devils into angels. It is actively reviving supernaturalism in popular culture, not as an evil dimension divorced from ordinary human existence but as part of our daily lives. To explain this millennial shift away from the traditionally dark Protestant post-Enlightenment Gothic, Nelson studies the complex arena of contemporary Gothic subgenres that take the form of novels, films, and graphic novels. She considers the work of Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer, graphic novelists Mike Mignola and Garth Ennis, Christian writer William P. Young (author of __The Shack__), and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. She considers twentieth-century Gothic masters H. P. Lovecraft, Anne Rice, and Stephen King in light of both their immediate ancestors in the eighteenth century and the original Gothic-the late medieval period from which Horace Walpole and his successors drew their inspiration. Fictions such as the __Twilight__ and __Left Behind__ series do more than follow the conventions of the classic Gothic novel. They are radically reviving and reinventing the transcendental worldview that informed the West's premodern era. As Jesus becomes mortal in __The Da Vinci Code__ and the child Ofelia becomes a goddess in __Pan's Labyrinth,__ Nelson argues that this unprecedented mainstreaming of a spiritually driven supernaturalism is a harbinger of what a post-Christian religion in America might look like.

The Gothic, Romanticism’s gritty older sibling, has flourished in myriad permutations since the eighteenth century. In Gothicka, Victoria Nelson identifies the revolutionary turn it has taken in the twenty-first. Today’s Gothic has fashioned its monsters into heroes and its devils into angels. It is actively reviving supernaturalism in popular culture, not as an evil dimension divorced from ordinary human existence but as part of our daily lives.

To explain this millennial shift away from the traditionally dark Protestant post-Enlightenment Gothic, Nelson studies the complex arena of contemporary Gothic subgenres that take the form of novels, films, and graphic novels. She considers the work of Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer, graphic novelists Mike Mignola and Garth Ennis, Christian writer William P. Young (author of The Shack), and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. She considers twentieth-century Gothic masters H. P. Lovecraft, Anne Rice, and Stephen King in light of both their immediate ancestors in the eighteenth century and the original Gothic—the late medieval period from which Horace Walpole and his successors drew their inspiration.

Fictions such as the Twilight and Left Behind series do more than follow the conventions of the classic Gothic novel. They are radically reviving and reinventing the transcendental worldview that informed the West’s premodern era. As Jesus becomes mortal in The Da Vinci Code and the child Ofelia becomes a goddess in Pan’s Labyrinth, Nelson argues that this unprecedented mainstreaming of a spiritually driven supernaturalism is a harbinger of what a post-Christian religion in America might look like.

To explain the millennial shift away from the traditionally dark Protestant post-Enlightenment Gothic, Nelson studies the complex arena of contemporary Gothic subgenres that take the form of novels, films, and graphic novels. She considers the work of Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer, graphic novelists Mike Mignola and Garth Ennis, Christian writer William P. Young (author of The Shack), and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. She considers twentieth-century Gothic masters H.P. Lovecraft, Anne Rice, and Stephen King in light of both their immediate ancestors in the eighteenth century and the original Gothic--the late medieval period from which Horace Walpole and his successors drew their inspiration. Fictions such as the Twilight and Left Behind series do more than follow the conventions of the classic Gothic novel. They are radically reviving and reinventing the transcendental worldview that informed the West's premodern era. As Jesus becomes mortal in The Da Vinci Code and the child Ofelia becomes a goddess in Pan's Labyrinth, Nelson argues that this unprecedented mainstreaming of a spiritually driven supernaturalism is a harbinger of what a post-Christian religion in America might look like. White Dog, the prequel: between imagination and belief -- Faux Catholic: a gothick genealogy from Monk Lewis to Dan Brown -- Gothic gods: the worshipful world of horror fandom -- Decommissioning Satan: in favor of his man-god whelps -- Gothick romance: the danse macabre of women -- The bright god beckons: the new vampire romance -- Postapocalyptic gothick: that means zombies (and the occasional zampire) -- The gothick theater of Halloween: performing allegory -- The ten rules of Sitges: global gothick horror and beyond -- Cathedral Head: the gothick cosmos of Guillermo del Toro -- The new Christian gothick: the shack and other cathedrals -- Epilogue: questions without answers. White dog, the prequel : between imagination and belief Faux Catholic : a Gothick subgenre from Monk Lewis to Dan Brown Gothick God : the worshipful world of Horror Fandom Decommissioning Satan : in favor of his man-god whelps Gothick romance : the danse macabre of women The bright God beckons : the new vampire romance Postapocalyptic Gothick : that means zombies (and the occasional zampire) The Gothick theater of Halloween : performing allegory The ten rules of Sitges : global Gothic horror Cathedral head : the Gothick cosmos of Guillermo del Toro The new Christian Gotchik : The shack and other cathedrals Epilogue: questions without answers. The Gothic has taken a revolutionary turn in this century. Today's Gothic has fashioned its monsters and devils into heroes and angels and is actively reviving supernaturalism in popular culture. Nelson argues that this mainstreaming of a spiritually driven supernaturalism is a harbinger of what a post-Christian religion in America might look like. The Gothic, Romanticism's gritty older sibling, has flourished in myriad permutations since the 18th century. In 'Gothicka', Victoria Nelson identifies the revolutionary turn it has taken in the 21st century