The result is fresh, alluring and deliciously creepy. published 1847, avg rating 4.00 — 226,729 ratings — Few things scream ‘Victorian Gothic’ as loudly as séances and mesmerism. What sounds, in summary, a little overblown is actually a compelling mystery with well-drawn characters and atmosphere that drips from the pages. 112,193 ratings — published 2013, avg rating 3.91 — published 1849, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Paperback), A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1), The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories (Paperback), The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes, #5), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Paperback), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Paperback), The Clockwork Scarab (Stoker & Holmes, #1), Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas De Quincey, #1), The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers (Paperback), The Fall of the House of Usher (Paperback), The Complete Stories and Poems (Hardcover). Early Gothic novels such as Horace Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’ (1764) and Ann Radcliffe’s ‘The Mysteries of Udolpho’ (1794) were set in exotic landscapes and distant times; the action took place in crumbling castles and torch-lit monasteries while the villains tended to be dissolute Catholic noblemen and corrupt, sex-crazed monks. Here, the star is 16-year-old Juliet, the doctor’s daughter. Her protagonist becomes God when he creates life from inanimate flesh. published 1938, avg rating 3.78 — published 2015, avg rating 4.00 — Called Gothic because its imaginative impulse was drawn from medieval buildings and ruins, such novels commonly used such settings as castles or monasteries equipped with subterranean passages, dark battlements, hidden panels, and trapdoors. published 1794, avg rating 3.74 — 824,358 ratings — The main character is Sari who, like many other heroines in gothic romance novels, takes a job as a governess. Yet while Mercy purports to be a spirit medium, Alice is developing powers of her own, powers that seem to link both her native and adopted countries. I will never forget how I felt when I reached the twist … and I envy anyone who has yet to start the book! 264,007 ratings — 970,861 ratings — Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. published 2006, avg rating 3.78 — 10. published 1862, avg rating 3.47 — Read 32 114 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Victorians loved a good mystery. 50+ Must-Read Gothic Novels and Stories The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Others by Carson McCullers. published 1868, avg rating 3.71 — published 1909, avg rating 3.95 — 401,282 ratings — The vogue was initiated in England by Horace Walpole’s immensely successful Castle of Otranto (1765). 134,976 ratings — published 1852, avg rating 3.67 — published 1850, avg rating 3.82 — Following a boom in popularity in the Victorian Era, which saw defining works like Dracula and Frankenstein published, the Gothic novel continued to evolve through the 21st century. published 1847, avg rating 3.99 — Most lists of Gothic fiction rightly include Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but somehow manage to forget this book by the youngest Bronte sister. published 2017, avg rating 4.00 — 4,315 ratings — published 1818, avg rating 3.86 — 1) Mary Shelley: Frankenstein (1818)Shelley’s novel is still one of the most powerful novels of the Gothic period. 202,602 ratings — 4,562 ratings — published 1898, avg rating 4.00 — But alongside these seemingly modern interests, the Victorians still nurtured a passion for tales of romance and melodrama. 713,954 ratings — Click here to buy. 1,962 ratings — Pagan bonfires, an eclipse, snake bites and a blood-coloured reddleman give a supernatural feel to a tale of identity and marital breakdown. A little bit Turn of the Screw, a touch of The Woman in Black, Boyne’s tale of obsessive love makes the hairs rise on the back of your neck. He seizes the very core power reserved for the deities alone. It is every bit the equal of its literary siblings. 7,489 ratings — It is every bit the equal of its literary siblings. While Lib tries to find a rational explanation for Anna’s predicament, she is caught in an atmosphere of hardship and religious fervour. Wells’ classic The Island of Doctor Moreau. 11,025 ratings — ... From the inventor of dark fantasy is this classic gothic fantasy novel. 1,669,825 ratings — published 1859, avg rating 3.82 — Sarah Waters. 8,575 ratings — Even more prolific were the penny dreadfuls, packed with far-fetched crimes and supernatural horrors such as Varney the Vampire. One of the many wonders of Littlewood’s story is its deviation from the tropes. 34,782 ratings — Instead of winds and rain, the action takes place at the height of summer. Gothic Romantic Suspense of a Bygone Era- Victorian Mansions, Mysterious Manors, Haunted Chateaux, Sinister Castles, Rambling Estates, Governesses, Heiresses, Mistresses, and Brooding Atmospheres 303 books — 189 voters 2,426 ratings — This offering of greed, deception and jealousy is my favourite of hers so far. Albie travels to the village of Halfoak to investigate the horrific murder of his young cousin. Rather than a crumbling mansion in desolate countryside, she presents a homely cottage surrounded by verdure. 82,434 ratings — Yet it is often chosen as the ‘best’ Dickens novel. 1,198,264 ratings — The uncertainty of what to believe deepens the mystery. published 1886, avg rating 3.39 — published 1796, avg rating 3.18 — 4,059 ratings — Menu. 277,756 ratings — She claims to be eating manna from heaven, but not everyone is convinced. A farmer sets out to win her heart, unaware of the brutal history she hides. Books shelved as modern-gothic: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Spilt Milk by D.K. Making full use of the tropes, this is a good old-fashioned ghost story to curl up with on a winter’s night. This, her latest, follows veteran nurse Lib Wright to a small Irish village where a miracle has supposedly taken place. Of all of Dickens’s finest novels, this is not the most popular in terms of sales (it is outsold, by many millions of copies, by A Tale of Two Cities). 5,915 ratings — published 1848, avg rating 3.42 — The orphaned child of a murderess, Sue Tinder grows up in the company of baby farmers and petty thieves. Though many are familiar with her short stories and the novel, Wise Blood, one of the best among Southern Gothic horror novels is The Violent Bear It Away. The joy of both this and Harris’s other Victorian novel, The Observations, is that they are disturbing yet fun reads at the same time. 5,822 ratings — Director: James Whale | Stars: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson. Festivals. published 1862, avg rating 3.81 — The story begins with the arrival of mysterious Mrs Graham at the long-dilapidated Wildfell Hall. published 1866, avg rating 3.71 — Recent authors have revelled in the opportunities Victorian Gothic offers to flick between criminal and supernatural agencies, trapping the reader halfway between the ‘real’ and unseen worlds. Which International Thriller Should You Binge This Weekend? published 2014, avg rating 3.72 — Read 38 494 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. To showcase the many possibilities of the genre, I have picked a selection of my favorite Gothic novels from contemporary authors and some lesser-known Victorian reads full of mystery and suspense. published 1764, avg rating 3.96 — published 2013, avg rating 3.78 — The Picture of Dorian Gray book. 7,330 ratings — Get started with our introduction to the topic below and then explore the rest of … Menu. 206,803 ratings — Best Victorian themed Gothic horror movie. Best neo-victorian novels A list of modern novels set in Victorian times. 2,075 ratings — Posing as a lady’s maid, she plots to deprive hapless Maud Lilly of both her fortune and her freedom. 61,268 ratings — The story begins with the arrival of mysterious Mrs Graham at the long-dilapidated Wildfell Hall. really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 85,444 ratings. 667,694 ratings — Do you accept the rational solution, or is there something more sinister at play? published 1846, avg rating 3.90 — If Victorian, monster-hunting romance is your jam, then The Essex Serpent is the perfect Gothic novel for you. An absolute milestone in feminist literature, Bronte’s hard-hitting social commentary is revealed slowly through the medium of private diaries. Catherine’s brother is a Victorian missionary to the land of the fae. 20,591 ratings — 18,864 ratings — published 1861, avg rating 3.74 — The name Gothic, which originally referred to the Goths, and then came to mean "German", refers to the Gothic architecture of the medieval era of European history, in which many of these stories take place. Resources about Gothic literature to support learning in English for Year 9 and S3. published 1872, avg rating 3.59 — published 1820, avg rating 3.56 — 1,382,832 ratings — published 2008, avg rating 4.23 — She recounts how unexpected tragedy prevented Gillespie from reaching his true potential, but the newspapers are telling a very different story … It is hard to describe this dark tour de force without giving too much away. Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng. Where to Watch 1938 adaptation: Hoopla; Rent and/or buy on Digital/DVD. In Defense of Writing Books That May Never Be Read, Barry Lopez: ‘We Don’t Need the Writer. published 1853, avg rating 3.93 — But conscience gets the better of her, and she begins to find herself strangely drawn to her intended victim. ... Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate. Prepare yourself: you’re in for one heck of a ride. But rather than blaming human agency, the locals spin him a tale of fairies and changelings. And in a world that has books like Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and C by Tom McCarthy, it doesn’t pay to dredge the past unless you can bring up fresh fish in your net. Victorian Gothic: 1832-1901 "In the Victorian era, Gothic fiction had ceased to be a dominant literary genre. Fox has made a name for herself writing in the Gothic genre, and it is not difficult to see why. This was a time of scientific exploration swathed in the fear and awe of religion. Specials. 6,603 ratings — avg rating 4.09 — In its opening lines, Francis Marion Tarwater digs a grave for the grandfather who kidnapped him in early childhood on the prescription that Francis would become a prophet. Rather than ending with a thorough explanation from the all-knowing detective, Victorian Gothic novels are often left open to interpretation. published 1898, avg rating 3.76 — Orphaned Alice lives with her Aunt Mercy in Windsor, a world away from her previous home in India. What We Need is the Story, Because This Keeps Us Alive’, Reading the Literature of the Bicycle As I Learned, Growth, Loss, and a Mailbox Mystery: 13 Years in Gray’s River Valley, Voices of the People: On Folk Music as a Living Art Form, Avni Doshi on Raven Leilani, James Joyce, and. published 1890, avg rating 4.13 — Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret. Modern Gothic books, including 2020's Mexican Gothic, are in conversation with years of tradition. 22,738 ratings — published 1853, avg rating 3.96 — 85,694 ratings — In that spirit, here are 10 Gothic historical stories and novels that interrogate history but aren’t subject to it: published 1886, avg rating 4.12 — published 1794, avg rating 3.85 — published 1897, avg rating 3.82 — 13,204 ratings — ... Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events. Unlike many other gothic novels which are typically set in Victorian England, in some old mansion, this gothic story is set in Lebanon, in the Middle East. published 2004, avg rating 4.03 — Anne Bronte, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Most lists of Gothic fiction rightly include Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but somehow manage to forget this book by the youngest Bronte sister. published 2003, avg rating 3.96 — So, it’s always a delight when new authors reinterpret the canon texts. Let’s check out ten of our favorite books that fit the Gothic fantasy bill. published 1864, avg rating 3.83 — A remote country house, asylums and taboos aplenty, Fingersmith ticks every Gothic box. Charles Dickens, Bleak House (1853). Eustacia Vye, rumoured locally to be a witch, longs to escape the boredom of her home, but forces larger than herself keep her snared. published 2013, avg rating 3.93 — 2,713 ratings — Governess Eliza Cain is horrified to discover that all previous occupants of her post at Gaudlin Hall have met with a violent end. The Prestige by Christopher Priest (1995) Christopher Nolan’s darkly glamorous film version made this the best known of Priest’s books. Centred on the infamous Koh-i-Noor diamond, this novel seamlessly interweaves myths from two cultures. published 2011, avg rating 3.43 — Living alone in his cousin’s house, his scepticism is soon put to the test. 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