The first full-length study of incest in the Gothic genre, this book argues that Gothic writers resisted the power structures of their society through incestuous desires. It provides interdisciplinary readings of incest within father-daughter, sibling, mother-son, cousin and uncle-niece relationships in texts by authors including Emily Brontë, Eliza Parsons, Ann Radcliffe and Eleanor Sleath. The analyses, underpinned by historical, literary and cultural contexts, reveal that the incest thematic allowed writers to explore a range of related sexual, social and legal concerns. Through representations of incest, Gothic writers modelled alternative agencies, sexualities and family structures that remain relevant today.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Introduction: disrupting the critical genealogy of the Gothic -- 1. 'Unimaginable sensations': father-daughter incest and the economics of exchange -- 2. 'My more than sister': reexamining paradigms of sibling incest -- 3. Uncles and nieces: thefts, violence and sexual threats -- 4. More than just kissing: cousins and the changing status of family -- 5. Queer mothers: female sexual agency and male victims -- Conclusion: Incest and beyond -- Index.

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