Swedish Gothic

“Yvonne Leffler’s latest work on the Gothic tradition in Swedish literature proceeds inspiringly from literature to film and TV-drama, from Emilie Flygare-Carlén and Selma Lagerlöf to John Ajvide Lindqvist, from transgressive female monsters to Nordic Noir, from trolls to witches. By using a contextualizing comparative perspective, this impressive work highlights the characteristic features of Swedish Gothic from the nineteenth century till the current boom of Nordic crime stories, with regard to transnational developments. In a fascinating way, Leffler presents central position of setting – the Nordic wilderness with dark forests, snow-covered artic fells, remote wintry islands – and to the use of local myths in contemporary Gothic Crime, while addressing issues of environmental exploitation, colonisation and racism” — Kati Launis, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Finnish literature, University of Turku, Finland, a co-author of “Gothic Topografies: Language, Nation Building and ’Race’”.

“Despite enjoying a cultural heritage that can be traced as far back as 1800, Swedish Gothic has been unjustly neglected by scholars of the genre. Professor Leffler’s comprehensive study corrects this omission and locates Sweden at the dark heart of the European uncanny. This is a work of transcultural significance” — William Hughes, University of Macau.