Sheppy Dog Fund Lecture: Portraying theFantastic: GothicArchitecture inContemporary Cinema

This illustrated lecture discusses the current reinvention of Gothic architecture in the cinematic and digital worlds of films, series, video games, and AI. A survey of Gothic structures in cinema and digital media since 2001 shows that Gothic is today a significant part of global visual culture. Like many other historical phenomena, Gothic has been appropriated and reimagined by creators motivated by the desire to tell stories and to turn a profit. The meanings and uses of this imaginary Gothic in many ways resemble Gothic’s roles in its medieval and earlier revival phases. It also highlights the continuities between contemporary popular culture and the historical material on which it draws. Dr. Markus Cruse is Associate Professor of French at Arizona State University. His research focuses on the literature and material culture of the Eurasian Middle Ages. His books The Mongol Archive in Late Medieval France: Texts, Objects, Encounters, 1221-1422 (Cornell University Press) and L’iconographie de l’Epistre Othea de Christine de Pizan (coauthor with Gabriella Parussa, Brepols) will appear in 2025.