The Gothic is, quite simply, everywhere: from the record-breaking successes of the
Twilight vampire films and the TV series
The Walking Dead,
to the critically acclaimed videogames
Left for Dead and
Dead Space.
Its ubiquity is nothing new. Since its first wave of success in the
late eighteenth century, the Gothic has proved to be a truly
chameleonic artistic mode, consistently adapting itself to suit the
tastes of contemporary audiences whilst simultaneously projecting their
innermost anxieties. In the virtual and digital age, the Gothic has
proliferated in places where it had not traditionally found a home.
What challenges does a new array of media bring to the study of the
Gothic? And more importantly, why are we still hungry for zombies,
vampires, ghouls and other things that go bump in the night?
The Contemporary Gothic strand attempts to answer these questions
through a series of papers by distinguished academics in the vibrant
field of Gothic Studies. Through various critical lenses, and in a
thoroughly interdisciplinary spirit, these sessions will explore what
lies at the heart of our continuing fascination with all things dark.
Focusing on the recent resurgence of zombies, the explosion of the
Gothic on TV, and the scholarly-neglected area of Gothic music, these
papers will help us understand exactly what it is that new Gothic texts
may have to tell us about ourselves and the society we live in.
Full programme and booking info (most events free):
http://www.hssr.mmu.ac.uk/hip/contemporary-gothic/
The Gothic is, quite simply, everywhere: from the record-breaking successes of the Twilight vampire films and the TV series The Walking Dead, to the critically acclaimed videogames Left for Dead and Dead Space.
Its ubiquity is nothing new. Since its first wave of success in the
late eighteenth century, the Gothic has proved to be a truly
chameleonic artistic mode, consistently adapting itself to suit the
tastes of contemporary audiences whilst simultaneously projecting their
innermost anxieties. In the virtual and digital age, the Gothic has
proliferated in places where it had not traditionally found a home.
What challenges does a new array of media bring to the study of the
Gothic? And more importantly, why are we still hungry for zombies,
vampires, ghouls and other things that go bump in the night? 