A journey in search of Goth culture in America. "Siegel . . . counters the dearth of research into goth and the hostility of post-Columbine representations with a sympathetic, compelling examination of goth subculture as premised on gender fluidity, with sadomasochistic practices as 'radical technologies of resistance.' . . . Recommended." —Choice
"[Carol Siegel] makes a significant contribution to the intellectual discourse on this subculture . . . The panoramic quality of Goth’s Dark Empire certainly poses a challenge, and the book makes no apology for its wide coverage of material from various disciplines. Instead, Siegel presents this diversity and complexity as a fundamental feature of the Goth community, its openness, and its fluidity. . ." —Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature In Goth’s Dark Empire cultural historian Carol Siegel provides a fascinating look at Goth, a subculture among Western youth. It came to prominence with punk performers such as Marilyn Manson and was made infamous when it was linked (erroneously) to the Columbine High School murders. While the fortunes of Goth culture form a portion of this book’s story, Carol Siegel is more interested in pursuing Goth as a means of resisting regimes of sexual normalcy, especially in its celebration of sadomasochism (S/M). The world of Goth can appear wide-ranging: from films such as Edward Scissorhands and The Crow to popular fiction such as Anne Rice’s “vampire” novels to rock bands such as Nine Inch Nails. But for Siegel, Goth appears as a mode of being sexually undead—and loving it. What was Goth and what happened to it? In this book, Siegel tracks Goth down, reveals the sources of its darkness, and shows that Goth as a response to the modern world has not disappeared but only escaped underground.
Carol Siegel, Professor of English and American Studies at Washington State University, Vancouver, is author of Male Masochism: Modern Revisions of the Story of Love (IUP, 1995); New Millennial Sexstyles (IUP, 2000); and Lawrence Among the Women: Wavering Boundaries in Women’s Literary Tradition.
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Distribution: World Publication date: 7/11/2005 Format: paper 224 pages, 6.125 x 9.25 ISBN-13: 978-0-253-21776-9 ISBN: 0-253-21776-8
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