Post-Millennial Gothic

Surveying the widespread appropriations of the Gothic in contemporary literature and culture <i>Post-Millennial Gothic</i> shows contemporary Gothic is often romantic funny and celebratory. Reading a wide range of popular texts from Stephenie Meyer's <i>Twilight </i>series through Tim Burton's Gothic film adaptations of <i>Sweeney Todd</i> <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> and <i>Dark Shadows</i> to the appearance of Gothic in fashion advertising and television Catherine Spooner argues that conventional academic and media accounts of Gothic culture have overlooked this celebratory strain of 'Happy Gothic'. <br/><br/>Identifying a shift in subcultural sensibilities following media coverage of the Columbine shootings Spooner suggests that changing perceptions of Goth subculture have shaped the development of 21st-century Gothic. Reading these contemporary trends back into their sources Spooner also explores how they serve to highlight previously neglected strands of comedy and romance in earlier Gothic literature.