Surveying the widespread appropriations of the Gothic in contemporary literature and culture, Post-Millennial Gothic shows contemporary Gothic is often romantic, funny and celebratory. Catherine Spooner reads a comprehensive range of popular texts from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series and Tim Burton's film adaptations of Sweeney Todd and Dark Shadows to fashion, advertising, tourism, TV makeover shows, stand-up comedy, sitcom and children's media. In doing so, she argues that conventional academic and media accounts of Gothic culture have overlooked the significance of this celebratory strain of 'Happy Gothic'.

Identifying a shift in subcultural sensibilities following media coverage of the Columbine shootings, Spooner suggests that changing perceptions of Goth subculture have shaped the development of 21st-century Gothic. Reading these contemporary trends back into their sources, Spooner also explores how they serve to highlight previously neglected strands of comedy and romance in earlier Gothic literature.