The Gothic World of Anne Rice

This anthology argues for the serious study of the literary oeuvre of Anne Rice, a major figure in today’s popular literature. The essays assert that Rice expands the conventions of the horror genre’s formula to examine important social issues. Like a handful of authors working in this genre, Rice manipulates its otherwise predictable narrative structures so that a larger, more interesting cultural mythology can be developed. Rice searches for philosophical truth, examining themes of good and evil, the influence on people and society of both nature and nurture, and the conflict and dependence of humanism and science.

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From dust jacket: The essays in this volume assert that Rice goes far beyond the conventions of the formula to examine important contemporary social issues. Like a handful of authors working in the horror genre, Rice perceives in its otherwise predictable narrative structures a way by which a larger, more interesting cultural mythology can be developed, as the editors of this volume point out.

About the Author

Gary Hoppenstand is an associate professor teaching in the Department of American Thought and Language at Michigan State University. He has written numerous books and articles on a variety of topics ranging from American literature to popular culture studies. Ray B. Browne is chairman emeritus of the Popular Culture Department at Bowling Green State University. He is the author and editor of more than fifty books on various aspects of American and world cultures.

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