From the beginnings 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 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. Murphy shows that depictions of suburbia in horror and the gothic provide an intriguing glimpse into the manner in which modern American society views itself. Making a major contribution to American cultural studies and to gothic criticism in general, this is the first sustained examination of the depiction of American suburbia in gothic and horror films, television and literature from 1948 up to today.
- ISBN10 0230244750
- ISBN13 9780230244757
- Publish Date 21 August 2009 (first published 1 January 2009)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Palgrave Macmillan
- Format eBook
- Pages 256
- Language English