California Gothic : the dark side of the dream / Charles L. Crow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crow, Charles L., author.

Series:

Anthem Studies in Gothic Literature

Anthem impact

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gothic fiction (Literary genre), American--History and criticism.

Gothic fiction (Literary genre), American.

American fiction--History and criticism.

American fiction.

California--In literature.

California.

California--In motion pictures.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 77 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

London, England : Anthem Press, 2024.

Summary:

California Gothic explores the California dream and its dark inversion as a nightmare, as illustrated in fiction, poetry, and film. California began as a literary invention, a magic island, in a Spanish romance before conquistadors first visited the land. From early days to the present, the California dream of happiness in a land of new beginnings has been maintained by suppression of disturbing realities: above all, the destruction of native peoples; and by events and facts such as the tragedy of the Donner Party, the persistence of poverty and crime in the golden land, disturbing crimes such as the Black Dahlia; and pandemics and ecological disaster. This book explores a rich Gothic tradition that exposes the repressed past and imagines the fates awaiting a failed California.

Contents:

Cover

Halftitle Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgements

1. The Magic Island

2. Ambrose Bierce and San Francisco's Gothic Frontier

3. Lost Coasts

4. Disease, Pandemics, and the Monstrous

5. The Shadow Line: Noir and California Gothic

6. California Ecogothic: What's Buried in the Basement

Works Cited

Afterword

Index.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 27 Mar 2024).

Other Format:

Print version: Crow, Charles L. California Gothic: The Dark Side of the Dream

ISBN:

9781839983818

9781839983801

OCLC:

1415888922