History of the Gothic: Gothic Literature 1764-1824 offers a detailed and accessible introduction to classic British Gothic literature and the popular sub-genre of the Female Gothic. Works by such classic Gothic authors as Horace Walpole, Matthew Lewis, Ann Radcliffe, William Godwin and Mary Shelley are examined against the backdrop of eighteenth and nineteenth century British social and political history as well as significant intellectual and cultural developments of the period. Examination of the Gothic's changing literary 'architecture' - its key motifs and conventions - is provided together with an overview of its critical history, an assessment of various theoretical approaches, suggestions for further reading, and a timeline of relevant events and publications.