Manifesting the Gothic: Reflections on Fashion and Visual Culture

Richards, Jennifer (2025) Manifesting the Gothic: Reflections on Fashion and Visual Culture. Doctoral thesis (PhD by Published Works), Manchester Metropolitan University.

Preview

Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

The gothic has been a continual presence within the west since its establishment during the eighteenth-century. Throughout the subsequent centuries, it has become more prominent, evolving beyond an exclusively literary phenomenon to embrace diverse cultural forms. To reflect this, this thesis offers a new articulation: ‘gothic as mode’. This concept is a way in which to express a narrative or element of storytelling that has the ability to permeate through mediums, styles and timeframes. The gothic and its extension into fashion and visual culture is under-theorised. The work submitted for this PhD by Published Work seeks to redress this balance, focusing on its significance. This contribution spans a timeline predominantly from the nineteen eighties to the present day. This collection of publications – one performance, three book chapters and one co-authored book chapter – identifies the importance of fashion and visual culture in enabling the gothic to manifest as an interdisciplinary space. Fashion and visual culture are presented as catalysts, and this work proposes that both are also places of expansion in the twenty-first century. The gothic presents itself as an active, multi-faceted mode of expression, mediated through fashion and visual culture. The concept of gothic as mode is presented in this thesis in two ways: 1. The activation of the gothic as mode through fashion and visual culture in a transformative way. 2. The exploration of fashion and visual culture as sites of gothic transgression. The theatrical nature of the gothic lends itself to exploration of fashion and the ways in which this has helped to develop the construction of the gothic narrative. From explorations of themes of the macabre and melancholic in fashion to the presentation of the construction of self through costume and film, this PhD by Published Work explores the importance of fashion and visual culture to the gothic establishing a space in which new dialogues actively manifest.