自第一部哥特小说诞生之后的240余年来,英国哥特小说批评经历了大起大落的变化。大致可以将这一过程分为三个历史阶段,即边缘化阶段(1764—1920年)、合法化阶段(1920—1970年)和批评视角多元化阶段(1970年至今)。而欧美英国哥特小说批评在后两个阶段又先后呈现出两次大的转向,即心理研究转向和文化研究的转向。梳理这一发展过程并予以评说,对于国内该领域研究的进一步深化,显然有着不容忽视的意义。
English gothic novel studies have gone through three observable stages since the publication of the first Gothic novel: marginalization, legitimization and multiplization of reseach perspectives. And in the latest two stages, gothic studies manifest a psychological turn and a cutural turn successively. The value of reviewing these procedure of the development is obvious if only to stimulate domestic studies in this field.