California Gothic: The Dark Side of the Dream
Author | : Charles L. Crow |
Publisher | : Anthem Press |
Total Pages | : 82 |
Release | : 2024-01-16 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781839983818 |
ISBN-10 | : 1839983817 |
Rating | : 4/5 (17 Downloads) |
Download or read book California Gothic: The Dark Side of the Dream written by Charles L. Crow and published by Anthem Press. This book was released on 2024-01-16 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: California Gothic explores the California dream and its dark inversion as a nightmare, as illustrated in fiction, poetry, and film. California began as a literary invention, a magic island, in a Spanish romance before conquistadors first visited the land. From early days to the present, the California dream of happiness in a land of new beginnings has been maintained by suppression of disturbing realities: above all, the destruction of native peoples; and by events and facts such as the tragedy of the Donner Party, the persistence of poverty and crime in the golden land, disturbing crimes such as the Black Dahlia; and pandemics and ecological disaster. This book explores a rich Gothic tradition that exposes the repressed past and imagines the fates awaiting a failed California.