Book excerpt: This book defines the American Gothic and places it both within the context of the major movements of intellectual history in the last 300 years, and also within the context of the critical issues of American culture. From Poe to Faulkner to Toni Morrison and Cormac McCarthy, many of the best and most critically acclaimed works of American literature have been Gothic. The book will demonstrate how the Gothic provides a forum for discussing key issues of American culture, for exploring forbidden subjects, and for providing a voice for the repressed and silenced.