With summer somewhere between full swing and distant memory depending on where you were on the globe, in August we retreated from the sunshine of the Southern Gothic to the dimly lit cityscapes and natural wilds of 19th century Europe. As you may have read here, August was all about monsters and the monstrosity of… Read More Duality: ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’
It seems rather apt that the sun is absent today, as the Southern Spell fades and a new season is welcomed in. This month is Of Monsters and Men – it is an exploration of the monstrous in gothic fictions and realities. Before I reveal The Seven Gothic Signs you can use to easily identify… Read More Identifying the Gothic: The Seven Gothic Signs
July is an ode to sunshine in the Gothic, it is a trip down south to the sweltering southern states of America, and to the effect of geography on horror. Under aย Southern Spell, this month I am reading four short stories from the Southern Gothic canon, and invite you all to read along with me.… Read More Race and Regionalism: ‘Drenched in Light’
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’
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
โIn the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is strange โ not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. But she has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When Circeโs gift threatens the gods, she is banished… Read More Generally Gothic Book Club Readalong: ‘Circe’
Whilst some of you are still making your way through Little Sister Death for the #generallygothicbookworm read-along which Gothic Bookworm and I have been hosting throughout December, we’ve decided to postpone our final, spoiler-filled blog posts until after Christmas… Having finished the novel ourselves, however, we’re both too filled with feelings to stay silent until… Read More Generally Gothic Bookworm Readalong: Lore in ‘Little Sister Death’
“๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ธ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ท๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ต ๐๐ธ๐พ’๐ต๐ต ๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ป.” Now there’s a claim that’s hard to refuse! During the summer I spent a month, entitled ๐ฅ Southern Spell ๐ฅ , 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’
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 โNature is Gothicโ, has been dedicated to exploring the โ you guessed it โ gothic within our natural world. Whilst many of us are… Read More Into that Eden of Poisonous Flowers: ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’ Readalong
“๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.” This week, I will be reading the short story, RAPPACCINI’S DAUGHTER, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and you are invited to read with me. Born in Salem, Massachusetts with direct connections to the historic American witch trials, Hawthorne is famously the… Read More Generally Gothic Book Club Readalong: ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’
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
Generally Gothic 