Italian Gothic

Abstract

This companion constitutes the first, systematic theorisation of the Italian Gothic. Through an interdisciplinary, trans-medial approach that encompasses prose fiction, poetry, journalism, film, music, and comics, the book explores the varied and complex metamorphoses of the Gothic in Italy from the late eighteenth century to the present day, examining its major aspects and themes, delineating its historical development and exploring the media it has infiltrated. Although the last thirty years have seen a burgeoning in the academic study of the Gothic at college and university levels and in related publications, scholars have long struggled to even acknowledge the very existence of this mode in the Italian context. This companion does not only fill in a historical and critical gap in the scholarship, but it also contributes to revitalising the field of Gothic Studies. On the one hand, in line with the new developments in Gothic Studies, this companion will propose an understanding of the Gothic as a transnational phenomenon: the chapters of this volume insist on the complex network of influences and remediations, translations and adaptations, that defines the Italian Gothic. On the other hand, we challenge the traditional Anglo-centric idea of the Gothic and hopefully pave the way for further explorations of the Gothic in Continental and especially Latin Europe, where the interactions, interchanges and mutual influences between cultures have remained unexplored.