Perils of the Night : A Feminist Study of Nineteenth-Century Gothic

This book argues that the source of Gothic terror is anxiety about the boundaries of the self: a double fear of separateness and unity that has had a special significance for women writers and readers. Exploring the psychological, religious, and epistemological context of this anxiety, DeLamotte argues that the Gothic vision focuses simultaneously on the private demons of the psyche and the social realities that helped to shape them. Her analysis includes works of English and American authors, among them Henry James, Mary Shelley, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Brontë, Charlotte Brontë, and a number of often neglected popular women Gothicists. This Book Argues That The Source Of Gothic Terror Is Anxiety About The Boundaries Of The Self: A Double Fear Of Separateness And Unity That Has Had A Special Significance For Women Writers And Readers. Exploring The Psychological, Religious, And Epistemological Context Of This Anxiety, Delamotte Argues That The Gothic Vision Focuses Simultaneously On The Private Demons Of The Psyche And The Social Realities That Helped To Shape Them. Her Analysis Includes Works Of English And American Authors, Among Them Henry James, Mary Shelley, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, And A Number Of Often Neglected Popular Women Gothicists. I. Boundaries Of The Self As A Gothic Theme: Introduction: The Genre, The Canon, And The Myth ; 1. Self-defense In The Gothic Tradition : Radcliffe, Brockden Brown, Henry James ; 2. The Mystery Of Knowledge : Frankenstein, Melmoth, Pierre ; 3. Deadly Iteration : Hawthorne's Gothic Vision ; 4. Boundaries Of The Self As Romantic Theme : Emily Brontë -- Ii. Boundaries Of The Self In Women's Gothic: 5. Speaking I And The Gothic Nightmare : Boundaries Of The Self As A Woman's Theme; 6. Gothic Romance And Women's Reality In Jane Eyre ; 7. Villette : Demystifying Women's Gothic. Eugenia C. Delamotte. Includes Index. Discusses Writings Of The Bronte's, Ann Radcliffe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville And Others. Bibliography: P. 323-340. Contents......Page 14 I: Boundaries of the Self as a Gothic Theme......Page 16 Introduction: The Genre, the Canon, and the Myth......Page 18 1 Self-Defense in the Gothic Tradition: Radcliffe, Brockden Brown, Henry James......Page 44 2 The Mystery of Knowledge: Frankenstein, Melmoth, Pierre......Page 58 3 "Deadly Iteration": Hawthorne's Gothic Vision......Page 108 4 Boundaries of the Self as Romantic Theme: Emily Brontë......Page 133 Epilogue......Page 159 II: Boundaries of the Self in Women's Gothic......Page 162 5 Speaking "I" and the Gothic Nightmare: Boundaries of the Self as a Woman's Theme......Page 164 6 Gothic Romance and Women's Reality in Jane Eyre......Page 208 7 Villette: Demystifying Women's Gothic......Page 244 Epilogue......Page 305 Notes......Page 308 Bibliography......Page 338 B......Page 356 C......Page 357 F......Page 358 H......Page 359 I......Page 360 L......Page 361 N......Page 362 R......Page 363 S......Page 364 W......Page 366 Y......Page 367 DeLamotte's book begins from the premise that the major conventions of the Gothic romance involve boundaries or barriers, which the Gothicist uses to play simultaneously on the fear of separateness and the fear of unity with some alien Other. She explores this question in the works of English and American writers, including Henry James, Mary Shelley, Herman Melville, Hawthorne, Emily Bronte, and Charlotte Bronte