{"product_id":"haunted-presence-s-l-varnado-9780817358556","title":"Haunted Presence: The Numinous in Gothic Fiction","description":"Are ghosts, vampires, and other forms of \"haunted presence\" related to universal religious instincts? Are emotions that play a part in religious ritual and narrative similar to those in classical works of Gothic fiction such as \u003ci\u003eDracula, Frankenstein, The Turn of the Screw, \u003c\/i\u003e and the tales of Edgar Allan Poe? \u003ci\u003eHaunted Presence: The Numinous in Gothic Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the intersection of Gothic literature and contemporary theories about the psychology of religious experience, positing that the two share the concept of the \u003ci\u003enuminous\u003c\/i\u003e, the human response of awe in the face of the eternal. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eVarnado offers a fresh and audacious analysis of the literature of the supernatural by employing insights derived from the philosophy of religious experience. Ranging from the Gothic novel of the eighteenth century to ghostly tales from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Varnado frames ghost stories as ontological challenge to the reader. The challenge is not in the form of philosophical proposition, however. Rather it is in the form of feelings and emotions that maintain a connection with the sense of reality. It is this area of reality that Rudolph Otto called the numinous--the \u003ci\u003efeeling\u003c\/i\u003e of the supernatural--that stands at the center of Gothic literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn understanding of this unique category of experience, aligned with its associated concept of \"the sacred and the profane,\" exposes the purpose of ghostly literature and demonstrates the enduring relevance of this mesmerizing genre.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e S. L. Varnado\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0817358552\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780817358556\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Alabama Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/15\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 172\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.40w x 0.30d","brand":"S. L. Varnado","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44072820277503,"sku":"9780817358556","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_cbe8a5c4-0c4a-49a8-9fed-5bf974ba8149.jpg?v=1685444120","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/haunted-presence-s-l-varnado-9780817358556","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}