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Bram Stoker

In part because of the huge success of his novel Dracula, Bram Stoker is largely responsible for moving the gothic out of medieval castles and into the center of modern life, using gothic motifs and conventions to examine social, economic, and political problems. In Bram Stoker, Carol A. Senf offers a detailed and accessible introduction to the entirety of Stoker’s oeuvre, focusing on his contributions to the modern notion of the gothic. 

During his lifetime, Stoker authored seventeen books in addition to Dracula, as well as several short stories, many of which were not classically gothic. Senf’s study is the first to pay sustained attention to these, searching out the gothic elements in tales of romance or stories of supernatural mystery.

As fascinating as it is significant to Stoker scholarship, this volume will appeal to anyone interested in literature and cultural studies at the fin de siècle.


195 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2010

Gothic Authors: Critical Revisions

Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory


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Reviews

“With careful and meticulous textual analysis and in clear and succinct prose, Senf traces Gothic patterns, images and themes throughout Bram Stoker’s significant body of fiction. From his earliest short stories in the 1870s through his major novels (including, of course, Dracula), Senf demonstrates how Stoker developed a deeper sense of the Gothic as a means of social commentary. This is an invaluable companion for readers of Victorian Gothic.”

Elizabeth Miller, Memorial University of Newfoundland

"The strength of Senf’s work lies in her coverage of novels and short stories that are seldom read, some of which are even rarely published. Her investigation of novels such as The Lady of the Shroud and The Lair of the White Worm alongside lesser known works like The Man, Miss Betty and The Jewel of Seven Stars draws convincing lines between Stoker’s adventures and romances, and his better known tales of terror."

The Gothic Imagination

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction: Tracing the Gothic through Stoker’s Short Stories

1. Gothic Material in The Snake’s Pass, The Watter’s Mou’ and The Shoulder of Shasta
2. Dracula: Stoker’s Gothic Masterpiece
3. Ongoing Work with the Gothic in Miss Betty, The Mystery of the Sea and The Jewel of Seven Stars
4. Gothic-tinged Romances: The Man, Lady Athlyne and The Lady of the Shroud
5. Stoker’s Return to the Gothic in Famous Impostors and The Lair of the White Worm

Notes
Bibliography
Index

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