Property and Power in English Gothic Literature

Download or read book Property and Power in English Gothic Literature written by Ruth Bienstock Anolik and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-01-12 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eighteenth-century England witnessed major social and economic changes, including the commodification of property, person and text through legal containments--enclosure, coverture, primogeniture, copyright. English Gothic authors responded with tropes that worked to dispel the assurances of possession--the contested castle, the beleaguered yet enduring woman, the haunting ghost, the disjointed narrative--warning that seemingly mundane codes of ownership have menacing implications, such as the civil death of women through marriage. This book explores the masterplot of the English Gothic text as a response to the Enlightenment's rational certainty regarding possession of self, property and narrative.