The Age of Nightmare

The British Gothic novel is a genre that was popular in the 18th century and is characterized by its dark, mysterious, and often terrifying themes. It is about morality, history, and the supernatural, and its authors were purposeful, thoughtful, and engaged with questions and feelings that shaped a century of culture. Historian Jeremy Black's treatment of the genre is comprehensive and faithful to the period, and his insights into the human impetus behind art that is often undervalued are remarkable. Black is devoted to preserving the memory of British literary genius and carving out a niche for himself in the field, and his work is an experience of suddenly finding oneself in possession of an education.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 17 January 2024
Publisher: St Augustine's Press

Historian Jeremy Black is as comprehensive as ever, but his greatest service to the British Gothic novel is in his meticulous preservation of detail, particularly the human impetus behind art that is often undervalued. Gothic novelists were purposeful, thoughtful, and engaged with questions and feelings that ultimately shaped a century of culture. Black observes that the Gothic novel is also deeply concerned with morality and deploying history accordingly. The true interest of the Gothic novel lies in its remarkable complexity rather than its grisly elements: the featured darkness and macabre are not meant to usurp heroism and purity but will ultimately fall under the overriding hand of Providence and the certainty of retribution.

Black's understanding of the Gothic writer is a remarkable contribution to the legacy of British literature and the novel at large. Once again, Black's thoroughness meets fidelity, and the reader is overwhelmed with his own insights into the period on the merit of Black's efforts. In The Weight of Words Series, Black is devoted to preserving the memory of British literary genius, and in so doing, he is carving out a niche for himself. As in the Gothic novel, where landscapes give quarter to influences that seem to interact with the human fates that freely wander, reading Black is an experience of suddenly finding oneself in possession of an education, and his allure takes a cue from the horrific Gothic tempt.

Dimension: 9 x 6 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781587310096