Ghost of an Idea

Headpress has recently published a book by William Burns that will be of interest to some of Wormwoodianas's readers. It is titled in full, Ghost of an Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror, and the Spectre of Nostalgia (ISBN 9781915316318, trade paperback). Burns is also the author of The Thrill of Repulsion: Excursions into Horror Culture (2016).

Ghost of an Idea has an introduction, plus seven chapters, most of which have extended titles, as with Chapter 1:  "Today is Tomorrow’s Yesterday: The Philosophy of Nostalgia / Raising the Ghost of an Idea: A Hauntology Primer."

The Introduction consists of a discursive examination of nostalgia, beginning: 

As we moved from the postmodern through the digital and now arrive in the post-singularity age, the two constants that have not only lingered but have grown exponentially and infiltrated all aspects of our lives are the shifting roles of simulated realities and genuine simulacra. What is real, authentic, and true are no longer ontological or epistemological concepts, but rather technological and media constructs loaded with stultifying political baggage. Is nostalgia an accurate recollection of a sincere personal experience or is it a byproduct of being programmed by dominant cultures and ideological social apparatuses? Is nostalgia a psychological defense against virtuality and the mass mediatization of the twenty-first century?

And Burns notes:

The essays, interviews, and reviews in this book are an interrogation of the concept of nostalgia, which has seeped into all aspects of creative media, none more so than horror culture and its adjacent borderlands: not only is nostalgia a crucial aspect of hauntology, folk horror, and found footage films (expressed through imagery, subject matter, aesthetics, sensibilities, and their relationships with readers, viewers, and listeners) but, along with profitability, it is a crucial reason for the long life of film and television franchises that have deeply sentimental fanbases (Star Wars, Twin Peaks, Blade Runner, Alien, Toy Story, Evil Dead) and for musical artists (Nick Cave, Electric Wizard, Goblin) whose works span decades. These three genres of nostalgic fantastique belle lettres are even starting to converge as evidenced in Paul Wright’s unsettling Arcadia (2017), an exposition on British geography, archetypal traditions, ghostly perspectives, and displaced memories presented through a montage of recycled historical documentation and artistic recreations that encompasses layered multiple media, eroding customs, and various times.

These quotes give the overall flavor of the book. Some of the analyses of individual films are quite illuminating. The book is dedicated to Mark Fisher, and it's not surprising that his views buttress the whole. An interesting cultural exploration.