Y-ffindlgter UniE6ity Pßs

çothic studies r7/z

Gothic Studies is a refereed academic journal published by the International Gothic Associ-ation, a scholarþ institution founded in 1991. The Editor encourages the submission oforiginal articles on topics ofinterest to scholars researching and teaching in all periods ofthe Gothic.

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Reviews

Books for review and offers to review should be sent to the Reviews Editor responsible forthe regíon in which the work to be reviewed is published. Europe and Asia: Dr BenjaminBrabon, Department of English and History, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4QP,UK, e-mail: brabonb@edgehill.ac.uk; United States, Canada and Australasia: ProfessorAnne Williams, Department of English, University of Georgia, Park Hall 254, Athens,GA 30602-6205, USA, e-mail: awilliam@uga.edu. Reviews should be 900-1,200 words inlength. Review articles which consider two or more publications may be somewhat longèr.Completed reviews should be submitted via ScholarOne.

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Articles and review articles submitted to Gothic Studies wùl be reviewed anonymously byat least two experts in the field, usually at least one of whom is a member of the EditorialAdvisory Board. The refereeing process is confidential and the identity of specific refer-ees will not be divulged to authors. Unless otherwise agreed with the Editor, all acceptedarticles will become copyright of the ]ournal. It is anticipated that permission to reprintelsewhere will be granted to the author on the condition that the original publicationis acknowledged. Authors of articles and review articles will receive three copies of thejournal; book reviewers will receive one copy.

The Gothic in an Age of Terror(ism)

Marie Liénard-Yeterian University of Nice-Sophia AntipolisAgnieszka Soltysik Monnet University of Lausanne

WelI, I suppose I see a diferent worlil than you do. And the truth ß that what I see

frightens me. I'm frightened because our enemies are no longer known to us- Theydo not exist on a. maP. They're not nations. They are individuab. Look øround you.Who do you fear? Can you see a face? A uniform? A fløg? No. Our world is not moretransparent now. It's more oPaque. It's in the shadows. That's where we must dobattle. So, before you declare us irrelevant, ask yourselves how safe do you feel?

This speech, made by M to a govemment committee n Skyfall (2012, Dir SamMendez), maps out some of the salient features of a Gothicised post-9/i I culturallandscape. It evokes a world shaped by the experience and fear of terror(ism): a

violence that is always unexpected though constantly awaited. In this world, fear-firlness and uncertainty are the dominant emotions while darkness, shadow andopacity define the aesthetic and symbolic frames. The militarised response thatM proposes - 'we must do battle' - recalls the sweeping War on Terror as well as

the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq that we have witnessed in the course of the lastdecade. Though the Middle East is far awa¡ the real battleground - for M, as forthe Homeland Security apparatus in the US - is a shadowy and unsafe worldall 'around' us. This uncanny transformation of home into the unhomely, orunheimlich, has opened the door to a host of new fears, anxieties and ethicaldilemmas. It is not surprising then that the Gothic has surged to the fore at sucha moment, producing a literal invasion of horror frIms, books, videogames andother cultural products for the commercial marketplace in the first decades of thetwenty-first century. The nature and meaning of these artifacts - neither merereflection nor always exactly critique - is emotionally and aesthetically rich, polit-ically resonant and ethically complex. The Gothic engages probingly with theconditions of the contemporary world - especially its felt precariousness, itsmoral uncertainties, and its thick new habitus of fear - and this issue of GothicStudies examines some of the ways in which it does so. The goal of this specialissue is to show what happens to the Gothic as a literary and frlmic mode along

çolh

icst

udie

s r/>

its m

ain

them

atic

line

s (th

e st

agin

g of

the

othe

r, th

e st

agin

g of

dea

th a

nd v

io-

lenc

e, th

e st

agin

g of

the

com

mun

ity a

nd th

e so

cial

) in

the

posi

-9i rl

wor

ld.

A nu

mbe

r of s

chol

arþ

wor

ks h

ave

begu

n to

exp

lore

this

new

resu

rgen

ce o

fth

e G

othi

c. M

ost t

ake

glrL

as

the

inau

gura

l ev

ent

for a

new

set

of c

ultu

ral a

ndae

sthe

tic p

arad

igm

s. M

any

take

thei

r cu

e fro

m s

lavo

j Zti:

ek's

argu

men

t tha

t the

atta

cks

on 9

/11

repr

esen

ted

not s

o m

uch

the

erup

tion

of th

e R

eal (

or H

isto

ry)

into

our

nat

iona

l myt

hs a

nd fa

ntas

ies,

but

the

erup

tion

of th

e (fa

ntas

ised

) im

-ag

e in

to o

ur n

atio

nal r

ealit

y.l I

n ot

her

wor

ds, 9

i ll w

as e

xper

ienc

ed b

y so

man

ysp

ecta

tors

as

'like

a m

ovie

' bec

ause

pop

ular

cul

ture

had

alre

ady

been

reh

ears

ing

it fo

r yea

rs,

givi

ng th

e at

tack

s on

the

wor

ld T

rade

cen

ter t

he a

ppea

ranc

e of

hfã

imita

ting

art r

athe

r tha

n lif

e pe

netra

ting

m1t

h. T

his

com

plex

inte

rfold

ing

offa

ct' f

rctio

n an

d fa

ntas

y ar

ound

the

atta

cks

and

thei

r af

term

ath

has

prof

ouid

lyim

pact

ed p

opul

ar c

ultu

re a

nd s

peci

fical

ly it

s m

any

Got

hic

and

horrà

r-ins

pire

dfo

rms

as th

ey h

ave

mus

hroo

med

in re

cent

yea

rs. I

n Th

e w

ar o

n Te

rror

and

Popu

lar

cultu

re (2

009)

, And

rew

Sch

opp

and

Man

hew

B. H

ill po

int o

ut th

atpo

pula

r cu

lture

has

bee

n th

e 'p

rimar

y ve

nue

for n

egot

iatin

g ou

r vex

ed r

elat

ion-

ship

to te

rroris

m',

and

cite

as

an e

xam

ple

the

rise

of a

rhet

õric

of '

evil'

in p

oliti

-ca

l dis

cour

se th

at is

then

bot

h re

flect

ed a

nd c

halle

nged

in p

opul

a, ,

rurru

jtirr.

r.,rn

Ter

roris

m T

v (2

012)

, sta

ry T

akac

s ex

amin

es th

e w

ay te

levi

sion

heþ

ed tr

ans-

form

the

Arne

rican

pub

lic in

to w

illing

par

ticip

ants

of t

heir

own

civi

l äis

enfra

n-ch

isem

ent.3

In c

ontra

st, A

viva

Brie

fel ã

nd s

ãm M

. Mille

r arg

ue th

at p

opul

arcu

lture

bec

ame

a pr

ivile

ged

site

- a

'rare

pro

tect

ed s

pace

' - o

f ãrit

ique

oÌ p

rruti.

disc

ours

e, t

hank

s to

its

abiJ

ity to

def

lect

impo

rtant

que

stio

ns in

to m

etap

hór

and

mul

ti-va

lenc

ed a

llego

ry.a

Fin

all¡

Kevi

n w

etm

ore'

s pà

st-9

/11

Hor

ror i

n Am

eric

anci

nem

a (2

012)

exp

lore

s th

e sp

ecifi

c ro

le o

f hor

ror

cine

ma

in th

e w

orki

ngth

roug

h of

the

even

ts o

f 9/ll

and

thei

r afte

rmat

h, t

akin

g th

e sh

ared

goa

l of b

oth

terro

rism

and

hor

ror c

inem

a - t

hat o

f cau

sing

fea

r - as

a p

oint

of d

epar

ture

.son

e th

eme

unite

s m

osr

of th

ese

criti

cs:

the

idea

that

fear

fuln

ess

beca

me

ã rr"

ight

-en

ed p

ublic

affe

ct in

the

wak

e of

9/lr

, tho

ugh

a hi

ghly

man

aged

and

ideo

logi

cally

mal

leab

le o

ne a

s w

ell.

This

rais

es a

set

of q

uest

ions

: w

hat e

xact

ly is

terro

r? H

as 9

/11

chan

ged

our

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

terro

r? Is

terro

rism

the

only

or m

ost i

mpo

rtant

sou

rce

of te

r-ro

r in

the

wor

ld d

ay?

It be

ars

poin

ting

out t

hat t

he te

rm 't

erro

rism

' ent

ered

our

lang

uage

n 17

94 w

ith R

obes

pier

re's

spee

ch in

the

Fren

ch N

atio

nal c

onve

ntio

n,in

whi

ch h

e de

fend

ed te

rroris

m a

s a

legi

timat

e po

licy

of th

e st

ate

agai

nst

its e

n-em

ies.

6 Ac

cord

ing

to R

obes

pier

re,

the

stat

e's

use

of t"

rro, *

"s l.

"giti

-at.

be-

caus

e it

was

link

ed to

'virt

ue'.

If th

e te

rm s

ubse

quen

tly c

ame

to b

e as

soci

ated

with

non

-sta

te a

ctor

s su

ch a

s pi

rate

s an

d vi

olen

t pol

itica

l milit

ants

, the

am

bigu

-iti

es o

f the

orig

inal

- se

H-ri

ghte

ous

and

stat

e-sp

onso

red

- use

of t

erro

rism

re-

emer

ged

in th

e w

ake

of 9

lll, as

the

Bush

adm

inis

tratio

n's

war

on

Terro

r in

-cr

easi

ngly

app

eare

d as

a w

ar o

f Ter

ror.

Mor

eove

r, as

w. f

. T. M

itche

ll po

ints

out i

n cl

onin

g Te

nor

(20L

1),

whi

le p

revi

ous

adm

inis

tratio

ns u

sed

the

term

'war

' met

apho

rical

ly t

o si

gniS

r a

max

imum

effo

rt, s

uch

as th

e W

ar o

n po

verty

,th

e Bu

sh A

dmin

istra

tion

liter

alis

ed t

he te

rm a

nd m

ilitar

ised

a re

spon

se th

at

The

Cot

hic

in a

n Ag

e o1

Ts¡

¡er(i

sm)

32

man

y no

w th

ink

shou

ld h

ave

rem

aine

d a

polic

e ac

tion

agai

nst

targ

ets

defin

ed

as in

tern

atio

nal

crim

inal

s ra

ther

than

vag

ue e

nem

y co

mba

tant

s in

an

extra

-

whe

re p

ower

less

ness

has

bec

ome

the

norm

'Th

eess

aysi

nthi

svol

umea

ckno

wle

dget

heim

porta

nceo

fgll-

|but

also

look

at t

hese

larg

er c

ultu

ral t

rend

s. M

aria

Bev

ille w

rites

in h

er in

trodu

ctio

n to

The

Coth

ic in

an

Age

of T

erro

r(ism

)5

4ço

thic

stud

ies

r7/z

Got

hic-

Post

mod

erni

sm: V

oicin

g th

e Te

rrors

of P

ostm

oder

nity

(20

09),

mak

ing

apa

ralle

l with

the

earþ

Got

hic

as a

n 'o

utle

t for

resp

ondi

ng to

terro

r':

Sim

ilarl¡

Got

hic-

post

mod

erni

sm

can

be re

gard

ed a

s an

arti

stic

resp

onse

to th

e te

r-ro

r tha

t cur

rent

ly ha

unts

ou¡

col

lect

ive u

ncon

scio

us a

s pa

rt of

our

pos

tmod

ern

cul-

ture

of f

ea¡,

and

also

as

part

of o

ur s

ubje

ctive

des

ire fo

r its

retu

rn a

nd fo

rdi

scou

rse

to o

pen

unto

the

dark

er s

ide

ofou

r kno

wn're

alitie

s'.e

The

traum

a ge

nera

ted

by th

ese

chan

ging

hum

an a

nd e

cono

mic

rela

tions

is n

otun

like

that

cre

ated

by

the

rise

of c

apita

lism

and

indu

stria

lisat

ion

in e

ight

eent

h-ce

ntur

y En

glan

d. A

s Be

ville

not

es a

lso, '

The

over

ridin

g at

mos

pher

e of

terro

rth

at lo

omed

ove

r Eur

ope

afte

r rev

olut

ion

in F

ranc

e ca

n th

us b

e se

en to

hav

eec

hoes

in o

ur p

ost 9

/11,

mas

s m

edia

-indu

cecl,

ter

roriz

ed c

ultu

re'.lo

The

proj

ect

of th

e G

othi

c ha

s in

crea

singl

y be

com

e to

exp

lore

the

terro

rs o

fou

r tim

es -

thei

r hor

ror -

and

to ra

ise o

ur c

onsc

ious

ness

. Han

nah

Aren

dt w

rites

tn T

he O

rigin

of T

otal

itaria

nism

:

The

cala

mity

of t

he ri

ghtle

ss (

the

disp

lace

d) is

not

that

they

are

dep

rived

of l

ife,

liber

ly, a

nd th

e pu

rsui

t of h

appi

ness

, bu

t tha

t the

y no

long

er b

elon

g to

any

com

-m

unity

wha

tsoe

ver.

Thei

r plig

ht is

not

that

they

are

not

equ

al b

efor

e th

e la

w bu

tth

at n

o la

w ex

ists

for t

hem

.

She

adds

that

the

disa

ster

s of

the

twen

tieth

cen

tury

had

pro

ved

that

a g

loba

lised

or-

der m

ight

þro

duce

bar

baria

ns f

rom

its

own

mid

st b

y fo

rcin

g m

illion

s of

peo

ple

into

cond

itions

whi

ch, d

espi

te a

ll ap

pear

ance

s, a

re th

e co

nditio

ns o

f sav

ages

'.1l T

here

-fo

re, t

he a

rtist

's ta

sk h

as in

crea

singl

y be

com

e to

find

the

right

lang

uage

, th

e rig

htim

ages

to a

ddre

ss th

e br

eakin

g of

this

world

, esp

ecia

lly in

the

wake

of t

he ru

ptur

escr

e¿te

d by

9lll,

in p

artic

ular

to re

intro

duce

the

litera

l int

o th

e fig

urat

ive,

the

raw

mat

eria

l beh

ind

the

sym

bolic

gfo

ss.

McC

arth

y re

intro

duce

s th

e lite

ral d

imen

sion

ofvio

lenc

e be

yond

wha

t som

e ha

ve c

alle

d th

e 'ch

oreo

grap

hed

viole

nce'

and

the

'sym

-ph

ony

of d

iplo

mac

y'thr

ough

the

thea

trica

l disp

lay

of p

ower

in s

umm

its a

nd th

e de

-pl

oyrn

ent o

f milit

ary

mig

ht th

roug

h hi

gh te

ch w

eapo

ns s

uch

as th

e dr

ones

, th

ela

test

ava

tar o

f the

'sur

gica

l' ph

iloso

phy

of w

arm

onge

ring.

Our

virh

ral r

eality

is s

ofa

r rem

oved

from

real

ity th

at s

ome

shoc

k is

need

ed to

wak

e us

up

out o

f our

apa

-th

y. A

s Fl

anne

ry O

'Con

nor

puts

it, '

to th

e ha

¡d o

f hea

ring

you

mus

t sho

ut, t

o th

ene

arly

blin

d yo

u m

ust d

raw

star

tling

figur

es'.l2

McC

arth

y's c

a¡rn

ibal

s em

body

the

barb

aria

ns' a

nd'sa

vage

s'tha

t th

e lo

gic

of g

loba

l cap

italis

m's

star

vatio

n of

a m

ajor

ityfo

r the

ben

efit

of a

few

- the

'sta

rtlin

g fig

ures

' tha

t O'C

onno

r, pe

rhap

s, c

ould

not

have

eve

n en

visio

ned

in h

er o

wn ti

me.

Horro

r has

to b

e re

-enc

oded

, re-

enac

ted

in lit

eral

obj

ects

and

ele

men

ts t

o ex

pose

how

mea

ning

has

bee

n el

imin

ated

fro

m o

ur c

onte

mpo

rary

con

scio

usne

ss in

a p

ro-

cess

des

crib

ed b

y |a

cque

s De

rrida

, who

use

d a

prov

ocat

ive i

mag

e, a

s 'la

cas

tratio

ndu

sþi

fié'.

Got

hic

worla

suc

h as

'Íhe

Roød

dea

l with

the

way

our g

loba

lised

ord

erwh

ich in

volve

s th

e re

intro

duct

ion

of sl

aver

y th

roug

h hu

man

traf

fickin

g la

bour

unde

rsta

nd th

e fig

ure

of th

e va

mpi

re'

ican

Lite

ratu

re: E

Pics

'a

fram

ewor

k fo

r lab

Y-se

of o

ur n

atio

nal e

di-

exte

nded

to m

ean

the

foun

datio

nofth

eWes

tern

world

ando

rder

-ano

rder

feed

ingo

ffhum

ankin

d'i,,

.toai

',gpe

rson

alda

taco

nsum

edan

dfed

into

adve

rtisin

gcom

pani

esan

din-

dust

rial c

ompl

exes

_ a

nd a

wor

ld o

bses

sed

with

seei

ng/b

eing

see

n, W

ith th

e at

-

tend

ing

cann

ibal

istic

voye

urism

that

und

erlie

s ou

r sur

veilla

nce

socie

ty a

t bot

h

the

indi

vidua

l and

col

lect

ive le

vels'

lato

tal r

egre

ssio

n - r

egre

ssio

n of

hum

angr

essio

n. O

ur s

cient

ifrc

engi

neer

ing'

for

is no

mon

ey to

affo

rd th

e co

st o

f fixi

ngen

dem

onst

rate

s in

his

artic

le 'C

olla

pse

reso

rt to

ferri

es in

stea

d of

brid

ges

-wh

erea

s th

e br

idge

of s

uch

gree

d th

roca

rs: t

he c

heris

hed

in a

regr

essiv

e la

ndsc

ape

of d

isast

er a

"ã to

tul s

tillne

ss in

the

wake

of (

afte

r) ex

-

..rr,

.åon

utin

g wi

th ih

.odo

' Ado

rno'

s ar

ticul

atin

g of

an

'afte

r Aus

chwi

tz'

in

Trti;

*J.tt

*re th

e im

pact

of g

loba

lisat

ion

on li

tera

-th

e G

othi

c co

ntrib

utes

to' r

efle

cts

upon

and

cha

l-

leng

es g

loba

l reg

imes

of e

cono

mic,

soc

ial a

nd e

cono

mic

Powe

r' W

ith th

e G

othi

c

work

s ex

Plor

ed in

this

issue

, we

of th

e la

ngua

ge a

nd th

e im

ages

'tu

rns

in th

e ro

ad o

f kno

wled

ge,

gene

Mich

alsk

i des

crib

es a

s an

'uph

eava

l in

ouar

Mar

enes

s of

impe

ndin

g de

stru

ctio

n'.lt

Th.

y tra

nsfo

rm o

ur m

oder

n gl

obal

ised

re-

ality

into

a n

arra

tive

urid

a p

oetic

pro

ject

- in

to a

rt an

d vis

ion,

eve

n pr

ophe

cy,

in-

dicí

men

t, wa

rnin

g, d

enun

ciatio

n - t

tt*ttl

ttg fo

rwar

d' c

astin

g aw

ay' t

rans

form

ing'

trans

mut

ing,

res

torin

g an

d ga

rner

ing

atte

ntio

n' 'A

TTEN

TIO

N M

UST

BE P

AID'

as L

inda

say

s ab

out ú

m" i

o he

t sJn

' in th

e 19

49 p

lay

Deat

h of

-ø Sø

lesm

anby

Arth

urM

illerw

howa

sapr

ophe

tinhi

sown

timea

ndst

illsou

ndsli

keon

efor

our

post

-9/1

1 wo

rld o

f sal

esm

en th

at a

re

ead'

Whi

le a

ckno

wl.d

gng

the

obvio

us

9/11

on

the

cultu

ral l

ands

cape

of th

e ea

rþ tw

enty

-ãric

entu

ry,

this

iss

wide

r len

s an

d ex

amin

es h

ow

the

cont

empo

rary

Got

hic

addr

esse

s iss

lin

ked

to 9

/11

(e'g

' ter

roris

m)

uo, ¿

ro u

iþ,

*a m

ore

far-r

each

ing

trend

s th

at p

reda

te 9

/11.

For

exa

mpl

e, a

key

conc

ern

that

ani

mat

es s

ever

al o

f the

ess

ays

in th

e vo

lum

e is

the

econ

omy

and

6ço

lhic

stud

ies

r/zsp

ecific

ally

the

fallo

ut o

f rec

ent n

eolib

eral

pol

icies

. Tak

ing

thei

r cu

e fro

m w

orls

like

David

McN

ally'

s M

onst

ers

of th

e M

arke

t: Zo

mbi

es,

Vam

pire

s an

d G

loba

lcø

pita

lism

(201

1) o

r Pau

l Giro

ux's

Zom

bie

Politi

cs ø

nd c

ultu

re in

the

Age

of c

asin

ocø

pita

lism

(201

1),

our c

ontri

buto

rs e

xam

ine

how

Got

hic

met

apho

rs a

nd m

onst

ers

have

pro

ven

them

selve

s es

pecia

lly u

sefi¡

l for

'wor

king

thto

"gh

the

cont

empo

rary

deliq

uesc

ence

of a

bod

y po

litic

infe

cted

by

neol

iber

alism

' and

the

deva

stat

ion

that

has

resu

lted

(Bla

ke, i

n th

is vo

lum

e).

Alth

ough

Man

< hi

mse

lf co

mpa

red

com

mu-

nism

to a

spe

cte

and

capi

tal t

o a

vam

pire

in h

is wr

itings

, the

cur

rent

Got

hic

met

apho

r of

cho

ice fo

r disc

ussin

g th

e ec

onom

y is

the

zom

bie.

17 Z

ygm

wfiB

aum

anha

s co

mpa

red

the

redu

ndan

t or d

ispla

ced

work

ers

that

neo

liber

al e

cono

mics

pro

-du

ce to

a z

ombi

e in

vasio

n of

'hum

an w

aste

' whi

le P

aul G

iroux

has

des

igna

ted

the

curre

nt n

eolib

eral

tend

ency

to 'd

ereg

ulat

ion,

priv

atisa

tion,

com

mod

ificat

ion,

cor

po-

rate

mer

gers

, an

d as

set s

tripp

ind

which

go

'han

d in

han

d wi

th th

e cu

rbin

g of

civi

llib

ertie

s, a

nd th

e in

crea

sing

crim

inal

isatio

n of

soc

ial p

robl

ems'a

s'zom

bie

politi

cs'.l8

Anot

her

maj

or is

sue

linkin

g m

any

of th

e co

ntrib

utio

ns in

this

volu

me

is th

atof

unc

erta

inty

. lf g

lll he

ight

ened

our

sen

se o

f col

lect

ive v

ulne

rabi

lity to

unf

ore-

seen

atta

ck, Z

ygm

unt

Baum

an re

min

ds u

s th

at th

e cu

rrent

cris

is of

unc

erta

inty

is pa

rt of

a la

rger

pro

cess

ste

mm

ing

from

cha

nges

in th

e ec

onom

y, th

e ro

le o

fth

e st

ate,

and

con

tem

pora

ry t

echn

olog

y. In

Liq

uid

Tim

es, B

avrta

n po

ints

out

that

funa

ions

onc

e pe

rform

ed b

y th

e st

ate

are

incr

easin

gly

left

to 't

he n

otor

i-ou

sly c

apric

ious

and

inhe

rent

ly un

pred

ictab

le m

arke

t for

ces

and/

or a

re le

ft to

the

priva

te in

itiativ

e an

d ca

re o

f ind

ividu

als'.

le M

ichae

l Moo

re in

his

2002

film

Bowl

ing

for c

olum

bine

also

iden

tifie

s a

cultu

re o

f fea

r in

the

unite

d St

ates

and

blam

es th

e m

edia

for f

omen

ting

it. o

ther

scho

lars

, su

ch a

s Da

vid L

. Alth

eide

,ha

ve id

entiû

ed th

e G

eorg

e w.

Bus

h Ad

min

istra

tion'

s po

licie

s as

del

iber

ateþ

conc

eive

d to

fost

er a

nd m

anip

ulat

e Am

erica

ns' s

ense

of a

rxie

ty a

nd fe

arfu

lnes

s,a

trend

he

calls

'the

pol

itics

of fe

ar'.2

oFi

nall¡

a th

ird m

ajor

issu

e th

at in

form

s a

num

ber o

f our

ess

ays

is th

e po

st-

colo

nial

fram

e, w

hich

brin

gs in

to fo

cus

how

our c

olon

ial a

nd im

peria

l pas

t con

-tin

ues

to h

aunt

and

har

ass

the

pres

ent.

whet

her w

e th

i¡k o

f the

way

9/ll

was

fram

ed a

s a

clash

of c

ivilis

atio

ns o

r as

a re

turn

of t

he p

ostc

olon

ial

repr

esse

d,we

ster

n co

loni

al h

istor

y ha

s cr

eate

d a

com

plex

lega

ry th

at in

clude

s th

e co

ntin

-ue

d hi

erar

chisa

tion

and

com

mod

ificat

ion

of h

uman

bod

ies,

the

racia

lisat

ion

ofin

tern

atio

nal p

olitic

s, a

nd th

e su

spen

sion

of b

asic

hum

an r

ight

s in

desþa

ted

war z

ones

that

inclu

de b

ut a

re n

ot li

mite

d to

bla

ck s

ites,

det

entio

n ca

mps

and

area

s po

liced

by

dron

es. T

he z

ombi

e ha

s pr

oved

itse

lf a

rich

and

mul

tifac

eted

trope

for e

xplo

ring

thes

e iss

ues

as w

ell,

which

mak

es s

ense

con

sider

ing

the

zom

bie,

as

one

of th

e ne

west

Got

hic

mon

ster

s, is

a cr

eatu

re o

f twe

ntie

th-

cent

ury

impe

rialis

m,

born

dur

ing

the

US o

ccup

atio

n of

Hai

ti in

the

1920

s an

dfir

lly m

oder

nise

d by

Geo

rge

Rom

ero

durin

g th

e Vi

etna

m W

ar. T

he z

ombi

ese

rves

as

a fig

ure

fòr t

he u

nc¿u

my

othe

r, hu

man

in fo

rm b

ut d

evoi

d of

reas

onan

d fre

e wi

ll, th

e pe

rfea

enem

y in

its

seem

ingl

y ap

olitic

al v

iole

nce.

yet

beh

ind

the

min

dles

s lu

st fo

r fle

sh a

nd b

rain

s, th

e zo

mbi

e em

bodi

es a

repr

esse

d po

litica

lun

cons

cious

, in w

hich

the

dise

nfra

nchi

sed

racia

l Oth

er lu

rks,

alw

ays

read

y to

The

Got

hic

in a

n Ag

e of

Ter

ror(i

sm)

swan

n th

e m

etro

polis

and

cas

t civi

lisat

ion

back

into

cha

os a

nd la

wles

snes

s'

Thes

e ar

e th

e sc

enar

ios

rehe

arse

d by

con

tem

pora

ry z

ombi

e ap

ocal

ypse

nar

ra-

tives

suc

h as

The

wøt

king

Dead

(AM

C, 2

010-

) or w

orl.d

war

Z (2

012,

Dir

Mar

c Fo

rste

r), b

ased

on

the

ePon

)¡mou

s no

vel b

y M

ax B

rook

s' At

the

sam

e

time,

eve

n m

ore

unca

nnil¡

the

zom

bie

lend

s its

elf e

qual

ly we

ll as

a tr

ope

for u

s

- the

sup

pose

,illy

alive

and

nor

mal

- bu

t so

num

bed

by a

rout

inise

d ry

cle o

f

-.".ri

rgl.ì

s wo

rk a

nd c

onsu

mpt

ion

that

w^9

ofte

n fe

el e

very

bit

as m

indl

ess

as

the

,orri

bi.s

we

watc

h to

dist

ract

our

selve

s.2l

In li

ght o

f the

rece

nt u

biqu

ity a

nd ri

ch¡e

ss o

f the

zom

bie

as tr

ope,

this

vol-

ume

bJgi

ns w

ith th

ree

essa

ys o

n tlle

zom

bie.

Jus

tin D

. Edw

ard'

s 'Z

ombi

e Te

r-ro

rism

1.,

"tt Ag

e of

Glo

bal G

othi

c' ex

plor

es th

e fig

urat

ive li

¡ks

betw

een

terro

rism

and

zom

bies

. Tak

ing

as a

poi

nt o

f dep

artu

re t

he s

hare

d fe

atur

e of

usin

g th

eir b

odie

s as

a w

eapo

n, E

dwar

ds e

xam

ines

the

impl

icatio

ns o

f ide

ntif-

ing

ierro

rists

with

zom

bies

thou

gh r

eadi

ngs

of tw

o frl

ms:

The

Tar

or E

xper

imen

t(z

õtO

, Oir

Geo

rge

Men

delu

k) a

nd O

som

bie

(201

2, D

ir fo

hn L

yde)

. Bot

h film

sen

gage

dire

ctly

with

9/1

1 th

ough

the

form

er a

lso re

fere

nces

ear

lier d

omes

ticte

riorls

m e

vent

s su

ch a

s th

e ok

laho

ma

Bom

bing

, pl

acin

g th

e pr

oble

mat

ic of

terro

rism

in a

wid

er h

istor

ical f

ram

e. T

he e

ssay

ask

s wh

at it

mea

ns to

com

pare

terro

rists

to

zom

bies

, an

d m

ore

spec

ifical

l¡ wh

at it

mea

ns to

dism

iss t

erro

rism

as m

indl

ess

(like

zom

bie

viole

nce)

. Lin

nie

Blak

e's

"'Are

we

worth

savin

g? Y

ouTe

ll M

e": N

eolib

eral

ism,

Z,om

bies

and

the

Failu

re o

f Fre

e Tr

ade'

exa

min

es t

he

use

of th

e zo

mbi

e m

etap

hor

in e

cono

mic

theo

ry a

nd s

ocia

l crit

icism

, inc

ludi

ngsa

tire

such

as

Fido

(200

¿, D

if An

d¡ew

cur

rie)

or G

eorg

e Ro

mer

o's

tece

nt L

ønd

of th

e De

ad (

2005

, Dir

Geo

rge

Rom

ero)

. Ac

cord

ing

to B

lake

, th

ese

films,

and

book

s su

ch a

s M

ax B

rook

s' W

oild

War

Z (2

006)

, ef

fect

iveþ

artic

ulat

e th

e gl

obal

econ

omic

and

pote

ntia

l eco

logi

cal c

risis

and

inte

rroga

te th

e im

pact

of n

eolib

eral

ideo

logy

on

cont

empo

rary

sub

ject

ivity

. At

stak

e ar

e ba

sic q

uest

ions

of w

hat it

*"*,

to b

e hu

man

and

wha

t the

futu

re o

f hum

anity

is in

ligh

t of c

urre

nt e

co-

nom

ic, b

iopo

litica

l and

tech

nolo

gica

l tre

nds.

A th

ird e

ssay

on

the

zom

bie

phe-

nom

enon

exa

min

es th

e ev

olut

ion

of th

e zo

mbi

e film

in th

e tw

enty

-firs

t ce

ntur

y.Ky

le B

ishop

's 'T

he N

ew A

mer

ican

z,om

bie

Got

hic:

Roa

d Tr

ips,

Glo

balis

atio

n'an

d th

e wa

r on

Terro

r'tra

ces

the

shift

in z

ombi

e film

con

vent

ions

from

the

barri

cade

d ho

mes

tead

to

the

rece

nt tr

end

of tr

avel

and

mov

emen

t. Li

nkin

g th

isi¡n

ovat

ion

to a

pos

t glll

awar

enes

s of

the

glob

al c

omm

unity

, Bish

op a

lso e

x-

amin

es W

orld

War

Z as

a p

nme

exam

ple

of th

e im

pact

of g

loba

lisat

ion

on th

eAm

erica

n zo

mbi

e film

.W

ith K

evin

Wet

mor

e's

'The

War

on

Terro

r (a

nd W

erew

olve

s):

Post

-9/1

1Ho

rror

and

the

Got

hic

Clas

h of

Civi

lisat

ions

' we

mov

e fro

m z

ombi

es to

tlvo

othe

r G

othi

c cr

eatu

res:

vam

pire

s an

d we

rewo

lves'

Wet

mor

e be

gins

with

cons

er-

vativ

e po

litica

l scie

ntist

Sam

uel P

. Hun

tingt

on's

cont

rove

rsia

l cla

im in

the

wake

of g

lli th

at a

'cla

sh o

f civi

lizat

ions

' exis

ted

betw

een

'Isla

m a

nd th

e W

est'.

Wet

mor

e pr

opos

es th

at p

opul

ar c

ultu

re, h

avin

g m

ade

vam

pire

s in

to a

n et

hnici

tyin

the

1990

s, w

as n

otv

expl

orin

g th

e cla

sh o

f civi

lisat

ion

trope

thro

ugh

enco

ufite

rsbe

twee

n va

mpi

res

and

were

wolve

s in

text

s su

ch a

s th

e IJ

nder

world

and

Twi

light7

f.lm series, and the True Blood TV series. The larger frame for such an encounterwas a postcolonial struggle between former colonial master and subject, whichthe Gothic is able to probe in terms of metaphor and analogy in a way that offi-cial public culture cannot. The postcolonial is also the principal frame in which|ohan Höglund casts his essay on'Cell, Stephen King and the Imperial Gothic'.Contextualising the contemporary obsession with catastrophe in terms of a

century-long tradition of Imperial Gothic that began with the dismantling of theBritish Empire in the late nineteenth century, Höglund examines current dis-courses of terrorism and post-apocallptic fiction in light of the waning Americanempire at hand. Focusing specifically on Stephen Ktrry's CeIl, Höglund looks atthe ambivalent ideological meanings produced by popular culture texts in theirsearch to cope with the epistemological rifts created specifrcally by glll but alsoby the fraying of the American hegemon that these attacks exposed.

The next two essays follow logically from the postcolonial question to that ofthe nation-state itself. Katarzyna Pisarska's 'The Return of the Abjea: GothicTerror(ism) and Post-Devolution Britain n Skyfalf looks at the latest (and mostGothic) |ames Bond frtm, applþg Kristeva's theory of the abject and RobertMiles' notion of tJre 'nationalist abject' to examine how terrorism is presentedas the return of an aþected colonial history which now haunts and disrupts thesymbolic order of British culture and its sense of national wholeness. Pisarskaexamines the way the film maps out Britain's former imperial geographies,uncovering a range of ghosts and skeletons in places such as the Scottish High-lands and Hong Kong. If skyfall ultimately ends with a consolidation of Britishnational identity against the forces of abjection represented by the former agentSilva, the next essay probes even further into the theory and mechanisms bywhich a national imaginary is constituted as a social fiction. Donald Anderson's'Gothic Nation: Hawthorne, Ligotti, and the Absent Center of the Nation-State'engages head-on with the enigma of nationalism in an anti-foundational age:

how do national communities form without a stable ground on which to an-chor national continuity? Anderson's essay takes as its point of departure thecontemporary anxiety over the absence of a stable centre and examines howGothic fictions even before 9/11 have explored the terrors and implications of a

gaping void at the centre of the national symbolic order. Through readings ofNathaniel Hawthorne's 'My Kinsman, Major Molineux' and Thomas Ligotti's'The Shadow at the Bottom of the World, A¡derson argues t}Iat these prescientfrctions offer astute commentary on the mechanisms of public resPonse to 9i 11

and the unsettling spectacle of Ground Zero as national symbol.uncerrainty - especially epistemological uncertainty - is the theme of the last

three essays. The first two examine the most important aesthetic and technologicali¡novation in the twenty-first century horror film: the rise of found footage andmockumentary techniques. Although the earliest instances of this practice predate9/11, Kevin Wetmore has argued that the instantaneous quatlty of much contem-porarF horror, including the 'inadvertent' documentary diagetic mode, is the re-sult of the influence of. 9lll, which was unique for the manner in which it

The Cothic in an Terror(ism)

unfolded in real time i¡ media across the

A Critical Reassessment of Found Foot

strands of this new form, and argues thattechnique. Taking Grave Ecuses on the extreme self-reFound Footage Cinema and the Horror of the Real ' Neil McRoberts also offers a

briefoverviewofthisform,whichheca]lsthe.mostdefinitivetrendofpost-millennial horror,, but focuses on the way the mode attempts to collapse.the bound-

the world of the spectator' in order to'here' and not in some fictional other

the familiar world of the here and now'

The frnal essay is also centrally nty but examines

this issue through video gaming a d Límbo' GraemeaintY in PlaYDead s

traumatic and disruptive power of 9/11

on )udith Butler's Precarious Liþ toir 'First Worldism' i'e' their sense of

osed to the dangerous Third World' as

ment about the way found footage strives

toshowthatthehorrorcanhappeninthesameworldasthatinhabitedbythe,p*u,or, who is "o f""g"t ttcure- behind an aesthetic fourth wall' Pedlingham

examines how Limbo _ ñeir to a rong tradition of Gothicised gaming environ-

ments _ stages an ""*.u;; "-periencle of radical uncertainty as part of the plea-

sure of the game.The essaYs in this volume address

issues of terror and uncertainty in apatterns of economic crisis and PGothic explores our subjectivity as

can know in this Post-9/11 world'

be to deal with the legacy of the past - todealwiththereturningghostsofthepst-buttohandlethelegacyofthefutureand negotiate *ith th;ð;thic hybridity and uncanniness of creatures to be born.

Notes

I Desert of the ReaI" Cultures of Fear: A Critical Reader

'7L' '-. 1'hp f'rrrinrs Knot'. The War on

' B' Hill"Introduction: The Curious Knot" Tht

TerrorandAmericanPopularCulture(Madison,FairleighDickinsonUniversityPress, 2009), PP. 12, 17 -t8'

9

8 othic sludies r ¿

7

The

Coth

ic in

an

Age

o1 T

s¡¡e

r(ism

)'t1

10c

srud

ies

3 St

acy

Taka

cs,

Terro

rßm

W: P

opul

ar E

nter

tâin

men

t in

Post

9/1

1 Am

erica

(Law

renc

e,Un

ivers

ity o

f Kan

sas

Ptes

s,20

12),

p.26

.4

Aviva

Brie

fel a

nd S

am J

. Mille

r, Ho

rror ø

fter

9/11

: Wor

ld o

f Fea

r, Ci

nem

a of

Ter

ror

(Aus

tin,

Unive

rsity

of T

exas

Pre

ss,

2011

), p.

3.

5 Ke

vin f.

Wet

mor

e, P

ost-9

/11

Horro

r in

Am

erica

n Ci

nem

a (N

ew Y

ork,

Con

tinuu

m,

20t2

), p.

I0.

6 M

ikkel

Tho

rup,

An

Inte

llect

ual H

istor

y of

Ten

or (

Lond

on a

nd N

ew Y

orh

Rout

ledg

e,20

10),

p. 8

9.7

W. ]

. T. M

itche

ll, Cl

onin

g Te

rror:

The

War

of I

mag

es,

9/11

to th

e Pr

esen

t (C

hica

go,

The

Unive

rsity

of C

hica

go P

, 201

1), p

p.2l

-2.

8 Co

rmac

McC

arth

¡ Th

e Ro

ad (N

ew Y

ork,

Alfr

ed A

. Kno

pf, 2

006)

.9

Mar

ia B

evlle

, Got

hìc-

Post

rnod

erni

sm:

Voici

ng t

he T

aror

s of

Pos

tmod

erni

f (Am

ster

dam

,Ro

dopi

, 20

09),

p.24

.10

Bev

ille,

Got

hic-

Post

mod

erni

sm,

p. 2

3.11

Quo

ted

by D

avid

Bro

mwi

ch in

'Sta

y O

ut o

f Syr

ia',

in T

he N

ew Y

ork

Revic

w of

Boo

ltsLK

ll (2

0 Ju

ne-lO

|uly

2013

), pp

. 4-6

, at p

. 6.

12 F

lann

ery

O'C

onno

r, 'T

he F

ictio

n W

riter

and

His

Coun

try',

Mys

tery

and

Man

ners

:O

ccas

iona

l Pro

se (

New

York

, Mac

milla

n, 1

969)

, p. 3

4.13

Kei

th C

artw

right

, Re

adin

g Af

rícø

into

Am

erica

n Li

tera

ture

: Epi

cs, F

able

s, a

nd G

othi

cTa

les

(Lex

ingf

on, U

nive

rsity

of K

entu

cky

Pres

s,20

02),

p- 2O

.

14 S

ee fo

r exa

mpl

e th

e la

unch

ing

of th

e la

test

gim

mick

(or

tool

, dep

endi

ng o

n ho

w yo

use

e it)

of G

oogl

e gl

asse

s th

at s

houl

d be

fram

ed w

ithin

suc

h lo

gic.

15 B

ill M

cKib

ben,

'Col

laps

e an

d Cr

ash'

, tn

The

New

York

Ret

tiew

of B

oolcs

, [X

.1 1

(20

June

-l0

|uly

2013

), pp

. s3-

4.16

Quo

ted

in T

amsin

Sha

w, 'N

ietz

sche

: 'The

Lig

htni

ng F

ire"',

in T

he N

ew Y

ork

Reví

ewof

Boo

lcs L

Ll6

(24

Oct

ober

-6 N

ovem

ber

2013

), pp

. 52-

7, a

t p. 5

6.17

See

Mar

k Ne

oclo

dus,

'The

Pol

itical

Eco

nom

y of

the

Dead

: Mar

x's V

ampi

res',

Hist

ory

of P

olitic

al T

houg

h¡ X

XIV/

4 (W

inte

r 20

03),

p.66

8. F

or z

ombi

e ec

onom

ics,

see

David

McN

ally,

Mon

ster

s of

the

Mar

ket:

Zom

bies

, Vam

pire

s an

d G

loba

l Cap

italis

m (

Leid

en,

Brill,

20l

l); a

rrd H

enry

A. G

iroux

, Zo

mbí

e Po

litics

and

Cul

ture

in a

n Ag

e of

Cas

ino

Cøpi

talkm

(Ne

w Yo

rh P

eter

Lan

g, 2

0ll);

and

also

the

moc

kum

enta

ry fi

)m, D

ead

Man

Wor

king

(201

3,Di

r L.

E. S

alas

).18

Zyg

mrn

t Ba

uman

, Lí

quid

Tim

es: L

ivíng

in a

n Ag

e of

Unc

efta

inty

(Ca

mbr

idge

, Po

lityPr

ess,

2007

), pp

.28-

9; a

nd G

iroux

, p.

35.

19 B

aum

an,

Liqu

id T

imes

, p. 2

.20

Dav

id L

. Alth

eide

, Ter

roris

m a

nd th

e Po

lítíc

s of

Fea

r (L

anha

m,

MD,

Alta

Mira

Pre

ss,

2006

).21

See

Fre

d Bo

tting

'Glo

balzo

mbi

e: F

rom

Whi

tc Z

ombi

e to

Wor

ld W

ar Z

, in

Gle

nnis

Byro

n(e

&), G

loba

lgot

hic

(Man

ches

ter,

Man

ches

ter

Unive

rsity

Pre

ss,2

013)

, pp

. 188

-201

.22

Wet

mor

e, P

ost-9

/11

Horro

r in

Am

erica

n Ci

nem

a, p

. 61.

Note

s on

con

tr¡bu

tors

Mar

ie L

iéna

rd-Y

eter

ian

is Pr

ofes

sor o

f Am

erica

n Li

tera

ture

and

Cin

ema

at th

e Un

iver-

sity

of N

ice-S

ophi

a An

tipol

is. H

er m

ajor

fiel

ds o

f res

earc

h ar

e So

uthe

rn L

itera

ture

,Am

erica

n Th

eatre

and

the

Amer

ican

Sout

h in

frlm

. Her

pub

licat

ions

inc

lude

arti

cles

onW

illiam

F¿r

lkner

, Fla

nner

y O

'Con

nor,

Corm

ac M

cCaf

hy a

nd fa

niss

e Ra

y, a

nd th

e fiL

ms

Deliv

eran

ce,

Mid

nigh

t in

the

Gar

den

of G

o No

Cou

ntry

for

Old

Men

, arrd

The

Heþ'

She

has

also

iubi

i 01

0)' a

boo

k on

the

Sout

hern

Got

hic

and

Gro

tesq

ue itl

ed

Voice

s' Re

adin

g

stor

ies

(201

2) a

nd th

e frr

st v

oluå

e of

a c

olle

ctio

n sh

e cr

eate

d ('P

lay

and

Fikn

') de

-

vote

d to

A st

reet

car

Nam

ed D

esire

(A

stre

etca

r Na

med

Des

ire:

From

Pen

to P

rop,

2012

).

Sheh

asco

-edi

tedC

ultu

reet

Mém

oire

(200

8)an

dLeS

udau

Ciné

mø(

2009

).She

iscuf

-re

ntly

work

ing

on a

boo

k on

the

Gro

tesq

ue o

n sc

reen

'

Agni

eszk

aSoþ

sikM

onne

tisPr

ofes

soro

fAm

erica

nLite

ratu

rean

dCul

ture

atth

eUni

-ve

rsity

of L

ausa

nne.

Her

rese

arch

inte

rest

s nd

er

Stud

ies,

theo

ry a

nd re

pres

enta

tion

of ra

ce'

film'

She

is th

e au

thor

of T

he P

oetic

s an

d Po

liti

and

co-e

dito

r (wi

th J

ustin

D. E

dwar

ds)

ofPo

pula

r Cul

ture

: Pop

Got

h (N

ew Y

ork

Rout

ledg

e' 2

010)

'

Addr

esse

s fo

r cor

resP

onde

nce

Mar

ie L

iéna

rd-Y

eter

ian

Emai

l mar

ie'lie

nard

-yet

eria

a@un

ice'fr

Agni

eszk

a So

lçik

Mon

net E

mai

l agn

iesz

ka'so

ltysik

mon

net@

unil'c

h