Catherine Spooner is Professor in Literature and Culture at Lancaster University. She is the author of Fashioning Gothic Bodies (2004).

"Why wont Goth die? In Contemporary Gothic, Catherine Spooner performs a critical vivisection of the Goth subculture aesthetic to isolate the reasons why it eternally resurfaces in marginal and mainstream contemporary culture. Cutting through the subcultures conventions and clich&#233s, Spooner examines Goths roots in the gothic literary tradition while deftly deconstructing some of the more visible examples of Gothic pervasiveness . . . Spooner also eloquently demonstrates that even commercially marketed and consumed Goth culture provides a vital intelligent, critical counterpoint to the pop, sparkle and giggle of mass popular culture." - Art Review". . . if youre prepared to absorb more pop-cultural references than a Joss Whedon screenplay and youve always wondered what Nick Cave has in common with Corrie, then this is the set text for you." - SFX Magazine"engaging and accessible throughout . . . Spooners book offers a fascinating cultural snapshot of where Gothic is at . . ." - Cultural Sociology"Contemporary Gothic is both scholarly and engaging Spooner ably synthesizes critical work on the gothic of the past to generate a definition of its form and function at the present moment, and to shed light on the many corners of the culture in which we can catch the gothic lurking." - Journal of American Cultures