Failed Rites of Passage in Early Gothic Fiction - Couverture rigide

Oppolzer, Markus

 
9783631611357: Failed Rites of Passage in Early Gothic Fiction
Couverture rigide
ISBN 10 : 3631611358 ISBN 13 : 9783631611357
Editeur : Peter Lang AG, 2011

Synopsis

This study applies Victor Turner's theory of liminality to an examination of early British Gothic fiction and its cultural context. Contrary to the widespread belief that the Gothic is escapist in nature, a close reading of novels such as William Godwin's Caleb Williams (1794), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) or Charles Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer (1820) reveals that they actively engage with socio-political and educational debates of the time. Using the licence of fantastic literature, the Gothic sets up social experiments in which young, inexperienced protagonists have to face a variety of institutions. Under what circumstances are they willing to submit to these social orders ? Why are rites of passage often bound to fail ? These are questions consistently raised in this genre and explored in this study with reference to a wide range of political, legal, and educational treatises of the eighteenth century.

Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

À propos de l?auteur

Markus Oppolzer holds a PhD from the University of Salzburg, where he is currently employed as a lecturer (Post-Doc) at the Department of English and American Studies, teaching British literature and its cultural context. Apart from Gothic fiction his research interests include comics, the comparative study of narrative strategies in various media, and the concept of unreliability.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
Peter Lang AG
Date d'édition
2011
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
3631611358
ISBN 13 
9783631611357
Reliure
Relié
Nombre de pages
304
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
non disponible