The best gothic fiction fuses romantic ideals with horrific realities. Born in a world of men in the midst of a political and an emerging industrial revolution, Shelley crafted a horror story that, beyond its incisive commentary on her own milieu, is widely recognized as the first work of science fiction. In this modern-day rendition of the Victorian gothic novel, a post-mortem photographer named Robert must transport his cousin’s remains back to an abandoned chapel for burial. Ernessa is an enigmatic, moody presence with pale skin and hypnotic eyes. Guide to Southern Gothic: 10 Dark Must-Reads. Gothic Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines elements of both the uncanny and romance. From the attic of Lyntons, a dilapidated English country mansion, Frances Jellico sees them―Cara first: dark and beautiful, then Peter: striking and serious. Elizabeth Gaskell’s chilling Gothic tales blend the real and the supernatural to eerie, compelling effect. Much later, Titus wakes up lying in the middle of the road, no bridge in sight. When his father dies and Jevick takes his place on the yearly selling trip to Olondria, Jevick’s life is as close to perfect as he can imagine. But when illness fells Ava’s mother, the park’s indomitable headliner, the family is plunged into chaos; her father withdraws, her sister falls in love with a spooky character known as the Dredgeman, and her brilliant big brother, Kiwi, defects to a rival park called The World of Darkness. Keep an eye on your inbox. Dumas’ epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s. Northanger Abbey is the ‘gothic book for people who don’t read gothic novels.’ Perhaps you prefer a satricial bite, and in that case, Northanger Abbey is the perfect novel for you. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Thirteen-year-old Ava Bigtree has lived her entire life at Swamplandia!, her family’s island home and gator-wrestling theme park in the Florida Everglades. Around her swirl dark rumors, suspicions, and secrets as well as a series of ominous disasters. For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Radcliffe’s fourth, and most popular, novel features all the usual gothic suspects, including the maiden in distress, an ominous old castle, and plenty of untimely deaths. In assembling this list, I noticed a shortage of authors of color, especially in classics (of course) but even into modern times. And at the center of the diary is the question that haunts all who read it: Is Ernessa really a vampire? But one day a stranger arrives—cousin Charles, with his eye on the Blackwood fortune—and manages to penetrate into their carefully shielded lives. With an Introduction by Nalo Hopkinson and an Afterword by Steven Barnes. This post contains affiliate links. But it must read for the simple reason that understanding much of the literature that followed novel requires it, so profound was its influence. Think big, old, gorgeous but decaying mansions and castles. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a moment – forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, that meeting marks a new beginning. That should at least give you a frame of reference. With dark, stirring castles and cramped hallways, The Castle of Otranto is a gothic classic. There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. There are certain books that are always on lists of “books you must read” and the like, and these books are generally two things: old and complex. She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine’s love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father’s mysterious house, Northanger Abbey. Your activity and what 's popular • Feedback the best gothic fiction | 1 comment to the. And creepier than your usual fantasy novel think big, old, gorgeous but decaying mansions castles. 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