Women and Domestic Space in Contemporary Gothic Narratives

Moving away from traditional studies of Gothic domesticity based on symbolism, Soon instead focuses on domestic space's material presence and the traces it leaves on the human subjects inhabiting it. Approaching novels and films such as Beloved and The Exorcist , this study intersects psychoanalysis, phenomenology, and various spatial theories.

“One of the greatest achievements of Andrew Hock Soon Ng’s volume is the combination of different fields of study in order to investigate the palpable connection between self and space in the texts. The ambiguity of this connection, explored in detail throughout the book, is emphasized in all of the chapters. … It is a valuable contribution to both literary and film studies and a useful reading for scholars interested in the bordering fields of psychology, spatial and gender studies.” (Zsuzsanna Nagy-Szalóki, Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies, Vol. 24 (1), 2018)

"Andrew Hock Soon Ng offers a boldly interdisciplinary take on postmodern gothic horror. His study moves deftly among a variety of psychoanalytic theories, studies of genre, and discussions of the social and psychological operation of space. His paired readings of Toni Morrison's Beloved with Valerie Martin's Property and of the films The Others and The Orphanage are particularly compelling." - James Krasner, Professor of English, University of New Hampshire, USA

"Andrew Hock Soon Ng moves with authority through the densely populated terrain of gothic literature and film. His argument puts a range of theoretical approaches - psychoanalysis, architectural studies, gender theory and more - into conversation with each other, in a series of analyses that drew me into their details and also made me think again about big questions. His readings of works I thought I knew left me wanting to re-engage them, to think once more about the shaping power of sheer physical space in gothic fictions,and about the staying power of gothic in our collective imagination." - Donna Heiland, Emerson College, USA and author of Gothic and Gender: An Introduction

Andrew Hock Soon Ng is Associate Professor at Monash University Malaysia, where he teaches theories of authorship, contemporary fiction, and postcolonial literature. His publications include Dimensions of Monstrosity in Contemporary Narratives (2004), Interrogating Interstices (2008) and Intimating the Sacred (2011).