Figures of anxiety: communication and monstrosity in Gothic fiction

• Main Author: Bowring, Nicola
• Published: University of Nottingham 2013
• Subjects: 809.38729
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.606008

This thesis seeks to explore the subject of communication in gothic fiction, identifying this as a key theme in terms of anxiety as explored in this genre of fiction. Communication is related specifically here to the concept of monstrosity, and representations of monstrous figures within the genre of gothic fiction. The study is made through three key areas, the first focusing on language and communication, the second on the concept of the other and how alterity relates to communication, and the third examining the question of community as a key aspect within the theme of communication in gothic narratives. A wide range of texts is taken for discussion, historically speaking, from the earliest, Dacre's 1806 novel ZoJloya, through to the 2002 film 28 Days Later. Literary texts, films and television are included here for the different aspects they bring to the debate.