traces the history of gothic and romantic writings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to the present day. It examines the ways in which these genres were aligned with the historical process of modernity – with the Gothic representing the negative aspects of vice and barbarism that accompanied the changing parameters of civilisation, while Romance clung on to traditional values, manners and feelings. The book demonstrates how these genres have evolved together alongside cultural shifts and postmodern theories, blurring the binary between the sacred and the profane. Botting considers Romance and the Gothic from Mary Shelley, Anne Rice and Alasdair Gray through to and . He manages a fluid and extensive exploration of generic boundaries, including gothic fiction, romantic poetry, literary pastiches, popular horror fiction, cyberpunk and science fiction.