Title: Leaves much to be desired
Product review: I am a huge fan of gothic literature and theory, and this book was a big disappointment. the author basically rehashes theories which have been espoused, used and overkilled in the late 80s and early 90s. Written in 1999, and with so many new theoretical stuff on the gothic - some of which are incredibly sophisticated - this book just does not make the cut. if one wants a good introduction to gothic in general, one should try Fred Botting's Gothic, or more specifically, if one wishes to read more of the female/feminine gothic, Anne Williams's and Eugenia DeLamottes's books are super. the only worthwhile thing about this book is that the author expands the gothic "cannon" (although i dont like this word) to include some canadian writers who have not been regarded as gothicist before (thus the one extra star). but even so, the theorisation really really needs some serious updating. this book references a LOT, but i suspect that the author is merely padding her bibliography.
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