The Gothic Novel Book Club <Hiatus> discussion
Which Gothic novels have you read before?
I have read too many to list them all, but among the best. anything by Edgar Allan Poe, Dracula by Bram Stoker of course. The Monk by Matthew Lewis, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I also love the works of Shirley Jackson, and Anne Rice I think is one of the best modern Gothic writers.
I've also read Frankenstein, various Edgar Allan Poe, and The Scarlet Letter (though I didn't really care for that one). I've also read quite a bit of Stephen King.
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Will you be joining us for our discussion in May on The Picture of Dorian Gray, Silver?
Stephen wrote: "I've read Poe too - The Tell Tale Heart, The Black Cat and The raven being my favourite of his works. I'm reading Interview with the Vampire right now - it's excellent. Will you be joining us for..."
It is not very long, and I quite enjoyed it, so if I am able I might reread it and join in and even if I am not able to reread I might still be able to contribute something to the discussion.
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Stephen wrote: "It's going to be my first time reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. I'm very excited to read Wilde's novel."It is a great book, at least I thought so. I think you will enjoy it.
I actually wouldn't mind rereading Great Expectations, but that one might be a bit tougher to fit in
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Stephen wrote: "I love Great Expectations! It's the only Dickens novel I've read. I would love to read more but where do I find the time!?"Other than having read Great Expectations years ago, I am fairly new to Dickens and have only read a few of his works. As you have said, much of his work is quite long and he was quite prolific so it is difficult to find the time for him.
But if you do get the opportunity, I would strongly recommend Nicholas Nickleby which of what I have read so far is my 2nd favorite next to Great Expectations.
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Stephen wrote: "Thanks for your recommendation Silver. Dickens does have a number of Gothic novels, who knows: maybe we'll discuss quite a few of them? Richard also recommended Nicholas Nickleby."Yes, I recommended Nicholas Nickleby mainly because of your interest in theatre (something that Dickens was interested in all his life). NN falls outside the genre of Gothic, but some of the characters, e.g. the Squeers family, are pretty scary.
And btw, Dickens' last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, is very Gothic in tone. The author died before he could complete it.
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Project Gutenberg is great if you like e-reading, or just want some free public domain books. Librivox is also a free site with audiobooks of public domain novels which is pretty handy.
Stephen wrote: "My favourite is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've also read a few novels by Dean Koontz, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. My specialty in Gothic novels is the nineteenth century. Although I know a lot about the Gothic genre, I haven't really had a chance to read most of the Gothic fiction - especially the first Gothic novels. I'm very excited to see what the 20th and 21st centuries have to add to the collection!"
I have read those that you mention, with the exception of Koontz (didn't know he wrote Gothics). Wuthering Heights and The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson) are tied for my favorite novel. When I was in junior high, I was hooked on the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, and there was a series of books based on that series. The author (it was a man, but he wrote under the name of Marion Ross and other female names) also wrote other Gothic romance novels, and I read a whole bunch of those. I have also read many in the classic genre, such as Rebecca, The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Monk, etc. Even Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey could qualify, as it is a spoof of the Gothic genre - the heroine has read so many that she sees suspicious things every where she looks! Hilarious!
I was surprised to find that the earliest you want to go is the 19th century. The Gothic genre started prior to that, so I'm not sure why you would not want to include some of the pioneers? I might be wrong, but I think it started in the 18th century, with such authors as Radcliffe, le Fanu, Lewis, etc. I don't know of any earlier than that.
Stephen wrote: "Yes, I know about Gutenberg. I was an English major and I know friends that used it. I've never liked e-reading that much, so I don't bother. I do have a few of those Gutenberg texts on my iPhone a..."I don't e-read, but what I find Gutenberg useful for is online discussions, as I can search the text to quckly find, copy, and paste quotations from it. Having a find function is often easier, if you know a keyword, instead of paging through the book, and copy/paste is great so you don't have to type it all out yourself.
Denise wrote: " I might be wrong, but I think it started in the 18th century, with such authors as Radcliffe, le Fanu, Lewis, etc. I don't know of any earlier than that. ..."Fanu is actually 19th century, but the Gothic novel did start in the 18th century.
Silver wrote: "Denise wrote: " I might be wrong, but I think it started in the 18th century, with such authors as Radcliffe, le Fanu, Lewis, etc. I don't know of any earlier than that. ..."Fanu is actually 19th..."
Oops, sorry about that! I thought he was one of the earliest. I actually haven't read him, although I may have read a short story.
Denise wrote: "Silver wrote: "Denise wrote: " I might be wrong, but I think it started in the 18th century, with such authors as Radcliffe, le Fanu, Lewis, etc. I don't know of any earlier than that. ..."Fanu i..."
I actually used to think the same thing. I was surprsied when I first found out that he was published in the 1800s
I think I may have been thinking of Walpole. He was 18th century, wasn't he? Haven't read him yet, either.I think that with le Fanu, his name is so exotic, it just sounds older!!!
Denise wrote: "I think I may have been thinking of Walpole. He was 18th century, wasn't he? Haven't read him yet, either.I think that with le Fanu, his name is so exotic, it just sounds older!!!"
Yes Walpole was 18th century, he is credited with writing the first Gothic Novel.
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Dean Koontz writes suspense and thrillers. I think they're Gothic considering they have supernatural creatures in them and the mood of most of them is eerie and unsettling. Read Phantoms and you'll see what I mean.
I read a few short stories from a gothic anthology. It was called Victorian Ghost Stories...or something like that.
I've not read that many gothic novels; Dracula, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Woman in Black, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and maybe a few others. But my 'to read'/wishlist is packed with them so hopefully I'll manage a few more this year.I'm a big fan of gothic short-stories though so have read rather a lot of M.R. James, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's short stories (though none of his novels yet) and all of Charles Dickens' ghost stories, as well as bits and pieces of other authors from various anthologies. My complete works of Poe unfortunately hasn't had much of a look in yet but am doing my best to remedy that too.
It possibly doesn't count as it's pretty modern (1980s) and not a 'classic' but I'm currently reading Fevre Dream. Unless something crazy happens in the last half I would really recomend it for people who like their vampires actually scary.
I really enjoyed Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, a gothic novel that was a huge hit a few years ago. Also Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club has gothic elements. I haven't read Pearl's book on Edgar Allen Poe, but will attempt it one day. Pearl's work is quite complex take a bit of time to tackle. By the way, I found Gothic elements in The Dress Lodger, a very literate and wonderful work.
I've got allot to catch up on! I'm up for reading anything. Sort of got caught up in the Vampire series, and Twilights, 50 Shades of Gray series, I'm lacking in the better writers these days. I'm ready to get back on the right track:-) What are we reading next?
I've really read way to much young Juvinile stuff: Percy Jackson series, Sisters Grimm series, Septimus Heap series...get my mind out of kiddom:-)
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Hi Angela, I agree with Stephen. There is a great deal of excellent YA fiction, but this group can suggest some better writers to increase your gothic enjoyment.
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Like other commenters here, I've read too many novels with a gothic theme to list or even remember them all. My favorite authors of gothic stories and novels are the Brontes, Bram Stoker, Thomas Hardy, Shirley Jackson, Daphne Du Maurier, and Poe. I would also add Alice Hoffman, since several of her titles have gothic elements to me, and the wonderfully twisted short stories for adults that Roald Dahl wrote (if you enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a child, I highly recommend Dahl's stories for adults in The Best of Roald Dahl ). I'm not sure that either Dahl or Hoffman would fall into the gothic arena normally, but in my mind, I consider them gothic. I guess the quote that applies to gothic books for me would be "I know it when I read it."Also, if you love 19th century gothic literature, I highly recommend Daniel Poole's What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England. Lots of fascinating facts about the society and mores of the Victorian period in England.
Denise wrote: "Stephen wrote: "My favourite is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've also read a few novels by Dean Koontz, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Frankenstein..."Love me some Dark Shadows, which is why I'm protesting the new Johnny Depp movie. Although I normally really enjoy watching Johnny Depp, it looks like from the previews I've seen that the new movie ruins the elements that made Dark Shadows great and turns it into a big joke. I hope I'm wrong but I'm not spending $7 at the theater to find out.
thanks for mentioning Marion Ross--I'll have to see if I can find those books.
You probably should view the show and the movie as two separate works. You'd most likely enjoy it more if you aren't comparing the two.Of course, I've never seen Dark Shadows, the show or the movie, so maybe I shouldn't be talking...
Hannah wrote: "You probably should view the show and the movie as two separate works. You'd most likely enjoy it more if you aren't comparing the two.Of course, I've never seen Dark Shadows, the show or the movi..."
That's how I intend to watch the movie. I definitely want to see it. The series had a lot of unintentional humor and was rather camp, but the movie definitely seems to have been done as an outright comedy. It puts me in mind of The Stepford Wives. The original movie was so creepy, but the remake was done as a comedy, and I thought it worked well in both treatments. I expect to enjoy the Dark Shadows movie better than the dire remake series with Ben Cross as Barnabas.
BTW, Karen, were you aware that Jonathan Frid passed away a few weeks ago? I understand that he has a cameo in the movie.
Denise wrote: "Hannah wrote: "You probably should view the show and the movie as two separate works. You'd most likely enjoy it more if you aren't comparing the two.Of course, I've never seen Dark Shadows, the s..."
No, I didn't know he had passed away--that's sad. He will always be Barnabas to me. And thanks for the wise advice, Hannah, but I have a real problem with remakes usually. Sometimes they work great and add a new, interesting layer to the work in question, but usually I end up leaving disappointed. It seems to me that Hollywood has been stuck in a loop lately of remaking movies/or turning TV shows into movies in order to capitalize off their original success, and I'm getting a bit tired of it. Most of these remakes seem to detract from the original source, as opposed to adding any new insight/depth to the storyline and characters. Just my $0.02.
I'm rather anti-Hollywood myself as well. 95% of movies opening in theaters lack originality. I prefer mostly originals as opposed to the remakes (Let the Right One In, Funny Games, etc). So I can see why you'd be disappointed about Dark Shadows. I was really psyched for it to come out when I heard about it, but then I saw the trailer and was disappointed because it was a more comedy than horror and I was wanting horror:(
Hannah wrote: "I'm rather anti-Hollywood myself as well. 95% of movies opening in theaters lack originality. I prefer mostly originals as opposed to the remakes (Let the Right One In, Funny Games, etc). So I can..."
I was wanting more horror too. Well, I won't see it in theaters but will probably rent it out of curiosity. I do like Johnny Depp! The movie I'm waiting anxiously for this summer is the third Batman movie--I never expected to enjoy a movie based on a comic book character as much as I have Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight movies, and I'm excited to see how he ends the trilogy.
Hi I have only just joined the group so pleased that one of my favourite novels features. The Scarlet Letter, no one has mentioned my other favourite novel Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens, not sure if this counts as "Gothic". As you can tell by my choices of favourite novels I like a read where the leading protagonist has a tortured soul. My other two favourite are Balzac's Cousin Bette and Zola's Therese Raquin
Hi, I've only read Dracula by Bram Stoker, but I really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to reading more Gothic fiction! I tried to read Great Expectations before, however I couldn't get into it. But I'll try it again for next month's read!
I love a spooky, brooding element in a book. It is definitely a selling point. Everyone is discussing the classic gothics (Dracula, du Maurier novels, etc)and they are all wonderful, but there's only so many times you can re-read REBECCA. What are some new books out there that people have liked? I've found DROOD by Dan Simmons. The sixties/seventies author Victoria Holt's books have just been re-issued. Anybody else have any recommendations for new gothic material?
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To be honest, that's something I hope to do in the coming months (probably around September). I plan on focusing on 21st century Gothic novels - or Gothic novels that no one has really read.
Stephen wrote: "Jacqueline! You must read The Shadow of the Wind! It's a great Gothic book for book lovers :)I forgot to list this one! Shame the first sequel/prequel, The Angel's Game, wasn't anywhere near as good. Not read the third book yet but am hoping it'll be more in line with the first.
I haven't read much recent gothic fiction (or at least nothing memorable enough for me to recall off the top of my head) but I will rerecommend Fevre Dream for vampire fans. Is a fun pageturner, but there's definitely some creepy atmosphere going on there.
A relative oldie that I wish more people I know whould read would be the first two Gormenghast books by Mervyn Peake. So much love for those.
Karen wrote: "Love me some Dark Shadows..."Karen (and any other Dark Shadows fans), I just saw that a new group has been created for a Q&A with Kathryn Leigh Scott! The discussion will be from this Friday through Monday the 4th. I just joined! Here is a link to the group, if you are interested:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Of course, Kathryn played the pivotal roles of Maggie and Josette, among others. Since the series ended, she has become the historian of the show; I have three of her books, and I think there are more. This will be exciting!!!
Hi everyone as much as I love Rebecca and dracula and all of those I have to say the scarlett letter is one of my favorite books of all times! I think everyone should give it a second chance lol
I have read most of the gothic classics: Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, much Poe, Wuthering Heights (meh), Rebecca, Scarlett Letter, Miss Havisham's novel, Dorian Gray, some of the Brit detectives, Anne Rice(consider her modern classic) --maybe ought to consider some foreign authors like Gogol's Viy --seriously gothic--not tempted by the Depp movie--Dark Shadows was on when I came home from school every day, and I always changed the channel to the Stooges or Lucy. However, I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on the John Cusack movie the Raven which does the odd thing of trying to turn Poe into an action hero? THe V for Vendetta director made it visually dark, but...??
Diane Settlefield's The Thirteenth Tale is still my favorite modern Gothic. Her book made quite a splash, everyone literary agent was looking for the next Settlefield then she disappeared and has been working on her next novel for years. I haven't gotten into Kate Morton - People either love or hate her work and she is considered a modern Gothic writer. I intend to give her a go one more time. I downloaded Shirley Jackson's We Have always Lived in the Castle and will read that eventually.Regarding the John Cusack movie - it wasn't in theaters long enough for anyone to catch it. I'm sure it will be on tlevision soon enough.
I have read too many to list, but have really enjoyed finding truly old or little heard of stories to read like Carmilla, Varney the Vampire, The Vampire by Polidori, House of Seven Gables by Hawthorne... For more modern books I loved Thirteenth Tale and Shadow of the Wind. One that really gave me chills was House of Lost Souls by F.G. Cottam and I remember being impressed by the sense of foreboding in a modern setting in The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse
Kim wrote: "I have read too many to list, but have really enjoyed finding truly old or little heard of stories to read like Carmilla, Varney the Vampire, The Vampire by Polidori, House of Seven Gables by Hawth..."Hi Kim,
Thanks for the terrific suggestions. Did you read all of Varney the Vampire? A friend is trying to pull it together in a coherent manuscript and I'd love your take on it.
The Gothic Novel Book Club <Hiatus>
Books mentioned in this topic
Der Kinderdieb (other topics)A Bloodsmoor Romance (other topics)
The Dark Shadows Companion (other topics)
Wuthering Heights (other topics)
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Mervyn Peake (other topics)M.R. James (other topics)
J. Sheridan Le Fanu (other topics)
Charles Dickens (other topics)
My favourite is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've also read a few novels by Dean Koontz, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
My specialty in Gothic novels is the nineteenth century. Although I know a lot about the Gothic genre, I haven't really had a chance to read most of the Gothic fiction - especially the first Gothic novels. I'm very excited to see what the 20th and 21st centuries have to add to the collection!