Fashioning Gothic Bodies by Catherine Spooner

I'm really in two minds about this book. On the one hand, the central thesis is very well-developed and sustained throughout the book. On the other hand, analyses of individual texts were really cursory, obvious and too transparently used to prop up the theoretical side. I don't think it contributes anything to studies of isolated texts/authors, but it provides a really great perspective on the Gothic as a genre in all its manifestations. Generally, it takes Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's theories about the Gothic (especially relating to surface and contagion) and tests out how they apply to clothing in texts/other media. Which is a very original idea, and provides a really great addition to and sometimes expansion and refining of Sedgwick's ideas. But I was annoyed by how Spooner twisted a lot of texts for her own purposes, completely glossing over other parts. Still, it was a lot of fun to read and an accessible yet intellectually challenging (at least for me) read, which gave me a lot to think about. Also, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who finds Cosmo (the magazine) not simply revolting but downright horrifying.