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American gothic tales -
edited by Joyce Carol Oates.
New York : Plume, c1996.
viii, 544 p. ; 23 cm.
Annotations:
- "A William Abrahams book."
Reviews:
- Larry W. Prater (KLIATT Review, May 1997 (Vol. 31, No. 3))
This may very well be one of the most indispensable books you purchase for your library's fiction anthologies collection this year. Amid the annual welter of horror novels and story collections, it is a true standout, a volume that combines the horror genre and top-notch writing to provide YA readers with the highest quality chills and thrills. In her introduction, editor/contributor Oates traces the genesis of the American gothic tale not to the Middle Europe of the Romantic era but to the much earlier Puritans of New England. Though she pays short shrift to the Romantic influences on key gothicists like Washington Irving, Oates offers a brief and plausible argument that the Puritan worldview was gothic in and of itself. From this worldview's effects, she posits that examples of prime Puritan literature (Bunyan, Day of Doom, Edward Taylor) are loaded with anxiety, that nameless dread, "the gothic predilection for investing all things, even the most seemingly innocuous (weather, insects) with cosmological meaning." Beginning with "Chapter XIX" from Charles Brockden Brown's Wieland, Oates traces the development of the American gothic genre through Irving ("The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"), Hawthorne ("The Man of Adamant," "Young Boodman Brown"), Poe ("The Black Cat"), and Bierce ("The Damned Thing") -- among others -- into the 20th century. The gothic tale is well represented, after 1900, not only by those readily identified with the horror genre (Lovecraft, Derleth, Bradbury, Shirley Jackson), but also by the mainstream and the literary (Faulkner, Paul Bowles, Cheever, Plath, et al). Horror genre-loving YAs will find their familiar favorites represented (Stephen King, Anne Rice, Lisa Tuttle) and will discover names perhaps new to them (Charles Johnson, Breece D'J Pancake. Bruce McAllister). Though not absolutely perfect (no Thomas Disch; E.L. Doctorow's "The Waterworks" is not up to snuff), this is a benchmark collection. Most importantly, the anthology serves as a doorway for YAs already hooked on horror fiction to move beyond Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine into the wider world of literature. The cover, featuring Ryder's "Death on a Pale Horse," is an irresistible hook to the curious. KLIATT Codes: SA*--Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1996, Plume/Penguin USA, 544p. 24cm. 96-26698, $14.95. Ages 16 to adult. Subjects:
- Horror tales, American.
Gothic revival (Literature)--United States.
| Language | Call Number | LCCN | Dewey Decimal | ISBN/ISSN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English (eng) | PS648.H6 A47 1996 |
96026698 |
813/.0872908 |
0452274893 9780452274891 |