The suburban gothic in American popular culture
By: Bernice M. Murphy.
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 236
ISBN-13: 9780230218109
Subjects: Horror tales, American -- History and criticism; Gothic revival (Literature) -- United States; Horror films -- History and criticism; Horror television programs -- United States -- History and criticism; Horror in literature; Horror in mass media; Suburbs in literature; Suburbs in mass media; Popular culture -- United States
Description: "From the beginning of the post-war era, suburbia has frequently served as a setting for narratives of fear, repression and horror. Why has this been the case? And what actually is the Suburban Gothic? Beginning with a discussion of Shirley Jackson's novel The Road Through the Wall (1948) and ending with Desperate Housewives (2004-), this book discusses representative texts from each decade up to the present day. Each chapter provides a contextualising examination of the era and the cultural and historical contexts of its setting, thus providing a unique insight into the changing face of the suburbs and, by extension, of American society." --Book Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references, filmography, and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : welcome to disturbia; title: The house down the street : the suburban gothic in Shirley Jackson and Richard Matheson; title: Conjure wife : the suburban witch; title: Aliens, androids and zombies : dehumanisation and the suburban gothic; title: "You son of a bitch! : you only moved the headstones!" haunted suburbia; title: Don't go down to the basement! : serial murder, family values and the suburban horror film; title: "Ah, but underneath; title: " : Buffy the vampire slayer and Desperate housewives; title: Conclusion : the end of suburbia?