Dark Scenes from Damaged Earth

Abstract

What can the Gothic teach us about our current geological era? More than just spooky, moonlit castles and morbid graveyards, the Gothic represents a vibrant, emergent perspective on the Anthropocene. In this volume, more than a dozen scholars move beyond longstanding perspectives on the Anthropocene—such as science fiction and apocalyptic narratives—to show that the Gothic offers a unique (and dark) interpretation of events like climate change, diminished ecosystems, and mass extinction. <br/><br/> Embracing pop cultural phenomena like *True Detective*, *Jaws*, and *Twin Peaks*, as well as topics from the New Weird and prehistoric shark fiction to ruin porn and the “monstroscene,” *Dark Scenes from Damaged Earth* demonstrates the continuing vitality of the Gothic while opening important new paths of inquiry. These essays map a genealogy of the Gothic while providing fresh perspectives on the ongoing climate chaos, the North/South divide, issues of racialization, dark ecology, questions surrounding environmental justice, and much more.