Instruct: Classify a given review into positive or negative sentiment.
Query: Great concept wrecked by tedious, pretentious execution

The best part of this book is the blurb on the inside jacket cover, which draws you in to Edmundson's fascinating premise that Gothic influences are pervacious in modern American culture, and promises to illuminate those influences and outline their implications. Once you're persuaded to read the book, however, you are disappointed to discover the author has drained the topic of all its potential charisma, replacing it with his own idiosycratic take on the social and cultural mores of late 20th century society. About the best that can be said of the book is that it illustrates Edmundson's command of the English language - how often is one treated to the use of the words 'ephebe' or 'trope' in a single book, let alone in a single sentence? If highbrow cultural elitism is your bag of tricks, this book is for you. Otherwise, leave it on the shelf and move on.