Tag: gothic literature

Guest Post: Wicked Women and the Female Gothic, Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ & ‘My Cousin Rachel’

As the sun in the northern hemisphere gains strength, many of us seek the coast. Always geographically close, on this island as I am, the coast I seek is literary: Du Maurier’s sharp and unforgiving coastline, haunted by traumas past and present. Though born in London in 1907, Du Maurier is intrinsically linked to the… Read More Guest Post: Wicked Women and the Female Gothic, Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ & ‘My Cousin Rachel’

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That Very Special Gingerbread: ‘A Gothic Cookbook’ Recipe

When Ella Buchan, co-author of A Gothic Cookbook, reached out to me, I was excited for the opportunity to test any recipe in her and Alessandra Pino’s forthcoming gothic literature-inspired cookery book. When she offered “that very special gingerbread” from Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 classic, Rebecca, it felt fated. I love ginger and Rebecca with… Read More That Very Special Gingerbread: ‘A Gothic Cookbook’ Recipe

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Raising Ghosts: ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

To those who don’t follow along on Instagram and have been wondering where I’ve been, I will quickly catch you up. So far this year, I have:danced with Lolly and the devil,escaped the lab with Algernon,picnicked at Hanging Rock, witnessed Bloody torture in unending Chambers,followed Snowman seeking Crake across a desolate wasteland,heard the Crawdads Sing,felt… Read More Raising Ghosts: ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

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Guest Post: ‘Geek Love’, An Intimate Portrait of a Nuclear Family

Before the dust of the departing circus train settles, there is time for a post or two more. June, which was dedicated to the Circus of Horrors (that is, the horror of the circus) certainly lived up to the name. Rather than head into July leaving no trace of the circus behind, I’m bending time… Read More Guest Post: ‘Geek Love’, An Intimate Portrait of a Nuclear Family

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Aesthetically Hoarded Guest Post: Witches of Western Art

The Season of the Witch is half over and there is so much yet to explore. Soon I hope to take you on a literary journey of the witch as character, but in the meantime, I have enlisted some help. 𝕬𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖞 𝕳𝖔𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖉 I could think of no one better to dive deep into the canvas… Read More Aesthetically Hoarded Guest Post: Witches of Western Art

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The Physician, the Philosopher, the Poet: Ode on Melancholy

Millennia ago in ancient Greece a medical system evolved, out of even earlier Egyptian and Hindu beliefs, which aimed to understand the inner workings of the human body. At the hands of Hippocrates, (Greek physician, and ‘Father of Medicine’, c.460-370BC), the four humours were born. Hippocrates believed that the human body was composed of four… Read More The Physician, the Philosopher, the Poet: Ode on Melancholy

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A Poet’s House, Pleasure’s Temple: Keats’ Gothic, Epic, & Sublime

Born on Halloween, 1795, John Keats (d. 1821) was a tragic character, a romantic, and a poet. Considered a key figure amongst the second generation of British Romantic poets following in the footsteps of William Wordsworth, William Blake, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Keats and his young contemporaries were more open to exploring the space in… Read More A Poet’s House, Pleasure’s Temple: Keats’ Gothic, Epic, & Sublime

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A SEPARATE WORLD | ‘Head Full of Horrors’

With a headful of horrorsI pack sleeplessnessinto bags heavyserried in rows sagging,like Poe’s. Nightmares seep through the seamsroll over, romantically,the landscape of waking lifeto fancifully fog reality where I sit. Enrobed in blanketsin daylightenrobed in relentless memories inventedby nighttime blowing steam from hot tea.Dissipating particles finelyinto airI dilute fantastical flashbacks with reality weakened into nothingbut… Read More A SEPARATE WORLD | ‘Head Full of Horrors’

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Generally Gothic Book Club Readalong: ‘The Masque of the Red Death’

As the world’s population becomes increasingly locked away indoors, many of us are feeling panic or anxiety in the face of change and uncertainty. Whilst we all strive to maintain our collective physical well-being, it’s important not to let our mental health slip. The Bookstagram community thrives on indoor activity and online connection, but it’s… Read More Generally Gothic Book Club Readalong: ‘The Masque of the Red Death’

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An Unutterable Wretchedness of the Mind: ‘Jane Eyre’

Born in Yorkshire, England, on the 21st of April, 1816, Charlotte Brontë was the third of six Brontë children, and the longest surviving. Along with her younger sisters Emily (1818-1848) and Anne (1820-1849), Charlotte remains a popular author to this day. She completed four novels in her lifetime, three of which she saw published (the… Read More An Unutterable Wretchedness of the Mind: ‘Jane Eyre’

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Stone upon Stone: ‘Circe’ Readalong

Madeline Miller’s 2018 international number 1 bestseller, Circe, takes classical Greek literature, in turn based upon classical Greek mythology, as its subject. The title character is perhaps most famous for her appearance in Homer’s ancient epic poem, The Odyssey. This original text follows a war hero named Odysseus on his journey home after ten years… Read More Stone upon Stone: ‘Circe’ Readalong

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Words Curling Round Me: 2020 Reading List

Welcome to 2020! It is the year of the rat, and so I begin by rummaging through the dark corners of my bookcase for the texts that I have hoarded this past year, but not yet read. “𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓼𝓶𝓸𝓴𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓮 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓲𝓷 𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 – 𝓘… Read More Words Curling Round Me: 2020 Reading List

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Generally Gothic Bookworm Readalong: Midway Musings on ‘Little Sister Death’

“𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓯𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻.” Now there’s a claim that’s hard to refuse! During the summer I spent a month, entitled 🥀 Southern Spell 🥀 , exploring the southern gothic. I first posted (on Instagram) about William Gay’s Little Sister Death then. Some of you praised the novel, or declared adoration for… Read More Generally Gothic Bookworm Readalong: Midway Musings on ‘Little Sister Death’

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Into that Eden of Poisonous Flowers: ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’ Readalong

Welcome to the very second Generally Gothic Book Club read-along, and thank you for your patience as this week’s read-along turned into this fortnight‘s read-along… As explained over on Instagram, November, dubbed ‘Nature is Gothic’, has been dedicated to exploring the – you guessed it – gothic within our natural world. Whilst many of us are… Read More Into that Eden of Poisonous Flowers: ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’ Readalong

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Flickering… in the Middle of Nowhere: ‘The Wind’

“𝓘𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶; 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓯𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮?” – Lizzy, The Wind The bleak and blustering narrative of The Wind takes place during the pioneer days in a wild western state of America. Lizzy and her husband Isaac live alone, in a simple cabin surrounded by… Read More Flickering… in the Middle of Nowhere: ‘The Wind’

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The Ecstasy of Admiration: ‘The Flowering of the Strange Orchid’ Readalong

Welcome to the very first Generally Gothic Book Club read-along! As explained over on Instagram, November, dubbed ‘Nature is Gothic’, has been dedicated to exploring the – you guessed it – gothic within our natural world. Whilst many of us are enjoying dark, drawn-out evenings in the arms of autumn, and the weather is getting… Read More The Ecstasy of Admiration: ‘The Flowering of the Strange Orchid’ Readalong

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The Uncanny as we Picture it: Freud and the Photographer

Describing himself as “a fetishist for reflections, saturated colors, details and religious icons,” Seigar is a photographer, a high school teacher, and an English philologist. His ‘Plastic People’ series is “a study on anthropology and sociology that focuses on the humanisation of the mannequins he finds in the shop windows all over the world.” There… Read More The Uncanny as we Picture it: Freud and the Photographer

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Between One Cap and One Period: Reading William Faulkner

In an interview in the spring of 1956, Southern Gothic author William Faulkner was asked to advise readers who remained unable to understand his writing after two or three attempts. His response was simple: “Read it four times.”“I am trying to say it all in one sentence,” he continued, “between one cap and one period.”… Read More Between One Cap and One Period: Reading William Faulkner

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Stoker’s Muse: The Blood Countess

Cited alongside Vlad the Impaler as an inspiration for Bram Stoker’s eponymous vampire, Dracula, the blood-thirsty version of ‘The Blood Countess’ is the one most ingrained in the collective memory. Some scholars, however, now question the validity of numerous accusations, suggesting that rather than a murderer, as a powerful & recently widowed female figure, Bathory… Read More Stoker’s Muse: The Blood Countess

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Understanding Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’, Part 1

The Truth about Frankenstein PART ONE OF TWO Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus is victim to a whole host of misconceptions. As we began this year with the 200th anniversary of the first publication of the novel (which took place on January 1st, 1818), and as today, February 1st, is the anniversary of Mary Shelley’s (1797 –… Read More Understanding Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’, Part 1

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‘Strange Worlds: The Vision of Angela Carter’ Exhibition

Neither Porridge nor Clog-Dancing: The Virago World of Angela Carter [Castle Sarah Woodfine, 2005. Photo credit: Hannah, Generally Gothic, 2017] The white walls of Bristol’s Royal West of England Academy art gallery are lined with mystical, dark, dream-like artwork. A giant snow-globe, twin baby heads in a gravy dish, and a sculpture of a girl sleeping… Read More ‘Strange Worlds: The Vision of Angela Carter’ Exhibition

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The Gothic: What?

An Ongoing Attempt to Define the ‘Gothic’ In terms of the arts (particularly literature, but also film and music, as well as static visual art – you know, ‘art proper’), the gothic is commonly considered a trope, rather than a genre. A genre is a broad classification based on qualifiers such as subject matter, style,… Read More The Gothic: What?

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