Drowning Ruth - genre

[Clare]

Hi Christina,

Hi Christina,

Drowning Ruth is an amazing book!

While reading, I spotted many plot and character developments that reflected themes we discussed in my Female Gothic Literature class at Marquette University (1999). Do you consider yourself a writer of female gothic literature?

Do you enjoy reading such works? (We studied Jane Eyre, DeMaurier's Rebecca, Wide Sargasso Sea, Joyce Carol Oates, Flannery O'Connor, Virginia Woolf & others).

Thanks!
Clare

[Christina]

Dear Clare--

I would certainly say that Drowning Ruth has more than a touch of the gothic about it--thanks for noticing. My other two books are quite different, though--All Is Vanity is a satire and I'd say So Long at the Fair belongs to the school of realism--so I wouldn't really call myself a gothic writer in general.

I do love all of the authors and books on your list and I'm tempted to return to the gothic for my next book. The setting I have in mind--an isolated spot on the California coast (although lately I've been thinking of shifting to Lake Michigan) in the late 19th century--would be ideal for gothic elements. We shall see!

Christina