Challenging the tyranny of the Anglo-American narratives that have dominated critical historis of the Gothic, this work argues that the Gothic novel did not simply derive from "The Castle of Otranto", but from the cross-fertilization of translations from French, German, Russian and Spanish.
The only collection to concentrate on the European Gothic - writing in English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. Charts the rich process of cross-fertilisation, especially regarding Anglo-French exchanges in the development of the Gothic novel. Emphasises the importance of the impact of translation on the development of the Gothic novel. Uses a variety of critical perspectives to reassess the work of authors such as Clara Reeve, Sophia Lee, Charlotte Smith, Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis, Charles Maturin, Coleridge, Mary Shelley, Jan Potocki, Balzac, Dostoevesky, Gaston Leroux and Djuna Barnes. Offers a fresh way of thinking about Gothic lineages and histories.
