Metamodern Gothic
Exploring Identity in the Twenty-First Century
9781837723782
Distributed for University of Wales Press
Metamodern Gothic
Exploring Identity in the Twenty-First Century
Analyzes classic and new motifs in contemporary Gothic literature.
This book illustrates how contemporary Gothic literature can be read through a metamodern lens and investigates the concept of multiplicity of truths and the way identity is represented in the twenty-first century. Citing traditional motifs found in the Gothic texts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Metamodern Gothic continues to expand the literary discussion into the current era, exploring how modern Gothic writers utilize the various aspects of the traditional format and revise them for contemporary audiences. By examining a range of twenty-first-century Gothic literature, the need for further metamodern readings in contemporary discussions of identity as it is represented in modern Gothic novels becomes apparent. This book contributes to both the understanding of metamodernism in terms of literary studies and the continued expansion of contemporary Gothic studies. It exclusively considers the Gothic novel of the modern era and its relevance to current cultural concerns.
This book illustrates how contemporary Gothic literature can be read through a metamodern lens and investigates the concept of multiplicity of truths and the way identity is represented in the twenty-first century. Citing traditional motifs found in the Gothic texts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Metamodern Gothic continues to expand the literary discussion into the current era, exploring how modern Gothic writers utilize the various aspects of the traditional format and revise them for contemporary audiences. By examining a range of twenty-first-century Gothic literature, the need for further metamodern readings in contemporary discussions of identity as it is represented in modern Gothic novels becomes apparent. This book contributes to both the understanding of metamodernism in terms of literary studies and the continued expansion of contemporary Gothic studies. It exclusively considers the Gothic novel of the modern era and its relevance to current cultural concerns.
272 pages | 5.43 x 8.5 | © 2026
Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory

Table of Contents
Acknowledgementsv
Introduction
Revising the Gothic Novel1
Chapter One
Haunted Houses and Familial Identity16
Chapter Two
The Natural World and Male Identity45
Chapter Three
Fairy Tales and Female Identity68
Chapter Four
Enclosed Spaces and Queer Identity90
Chapter Five
Religious Institutes and Communal Identity120
Chapter Six
The Monstrous and Racial Identity152
Conclusion
Gothic Identities181
Bibliography185
Be the first to know
Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!