{"product_id":"9780817358556-haunted-presence","title":"Haunted Presence","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHaunted Presence\u003cbr\u003eAre emotions that play a part in religious ritual and narrative similar to those in classical works of Gothic fiction? \u003cem\u003eHaunted Presence\u003c\/em\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 numinous, the human response of awe in the face of the eternal.\u003cbr\u003eAre 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 Dracula, Frankenstein, The \u003cem\u003eTurn of the Screw\u003c\/em\u003e, and the tales of Edgar Allan Poe? \u003cem\u003eHaunted Presence: The Numinous in Gothic Fiction\u003c\/em\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 numinous, the human response of awe in the face of the eternal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Varnado 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 feeling of the supernatural—that stands at the center of Gothic literature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57961477898614,"sku":"9780817358556","price":18.52,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_38015673.jpg?v=1779881916","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780817358556-haunted-presence","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}