The world of Gothic Horror

Many remnants of the middle ages existed during the late modern period, such as castle ruins. These deprecated buildings gave an air of abandonment and the supernatural. Artists emphasized this in their paintings, with ominous and mysterious castles. Gothic literature takes its inspiration from these paintings and combines it with romanticism. A favoured cliché within the genre is that of the haunted house or a manor with an insidious secret.

In 1764 Horace Walpole wrote what would be the first gothic novel; The Castle of Otranto. A young man mysteriously passes away on the day of his wedding. To secure his dynasty and fortune, the father decides to marry the wife of the deceased. But a supernatural force attempts to prevent this union. Tales of ghosts, castles, and monsters taunting a tragic hero are what define gothic horror.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley 

The studious and ambitious Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with bringing life to the inanimate. He plunders resting places and assembles a monster from human parts. His creation is met with disgust and hatred from everyone, including Frankenstein himself. Isolated and left alone, the monster of Frankenstein sets on a path of rampage and vengeance against his creator; Victor Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley began writing this book at the age of eighteen as a warning about the dangers of science and technology. Because of this, her work is considered the first work of science fiction.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

An artist paints a portrait of Dorian Gray, to say that he loves it would be an understatement. Dorian adores his reflection and wishes to never age or look different from it. In exchange for his soul, Dorian maintains his youthful look, as all signs of age and decline are eternalized on his portrait. Dorian adopts a lifestyle of crime and hedonism, forcing him to hide his corrupted portrait from the world. What follows is the decline of a man’s soul in one of the most beautifully written works of fiction.

Dracula - Bram Stoker

Vampire stories existed before Bram Stoker wrote his masterpiece, but the classic tale of an aristocratic monster set the standard for the genre. An Englishman helps a nobleman from Transylvania to move to London but discovers that his client has a grave secret. Strange things happen as he moves to his new city, an unmanned ship becomes stranded, bitemarks are discovered on inhabitants and a madman proclaims the coming of his master. It is up to a group of adversaries to stop Dracula’s reign, but it turns out that his greatest power is his wit and intelligence.

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

And last but not least, Jane Austen’s brilliant parody of the gothic novel genre. Catherine Morland temporarily moves to Bath with acquaintances, where she becomes obsessed with gothic novels. She meets new and interesting people, such as the charming and sophisticated Henry Tilney. Mister Tilney invites Catherine to his home in Northanger Abbey. Catherine finds it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction and becomes paranoid in Northanger Abbey. The question is of course if her suspicions are justified. Is there truly something wrong in Northanger Abbey, or is Catherine imagining things?

So far the classics within the genre, for people who are interested in more we advise taking a look at the Brontë sisters blog. Check out our Chiltern Classics page for more classical titles. Our delivery estimates depend on the product ordered. Product that are on stock can be shipped on the same day when ordered on workdays before 16:00. Checkout our FAQ page for more information on our delivery terms. Or visit our store at the Coolsingel, checkout our opening hours here.