TheGothiciswildlydiverse.Itcanrefertoecclesiasticalarchitecture,supernaturalfiction,culthorrorfilms,andadistinctivestyleofrockmusic.Ithasinfluencedpoliticaltheoristsandsocialreformers,aswellasVictorianhomed矇corandcontemporaryfashion.ThisVeryShortIntroductioncapturesthehistoryoftheGothicfromancienttimestothepresent.ItcoversthesackofRomebythebarbariantribes,mediaevalarchitecture,popularcultureinthesixteenthcentury(includingballadsandRevengeTragedy),politicaltheoriesoftheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies,theriseoftheGothicnovel,theVictorianGothicRevival,andtheinfluenceofGothiccultureonfilm,music,andfashion.ItincludesfamiliarGothicnovelssuchFrankensteinandDracula,whilealsocoveringGothicgardening,slashermovies,andthecurrentGothscene.ItistheonlyaccountoftheGothicthatdescribestheentirehistoryoftheterm,presentingitinallitsrichlycomplexandperverselycontradictoryglory.
