Seven Masterpieces of Gothic Horror

by Robert Donald Spector (Editor), Horace Walpole, Clara Reeve

When the scientific and the rational worlds become oppressive, a reaction usually takes places, and in the eighteenth century one such reaction was the Gothic novel. The supernatural, romantic fantasy, mystery and terror crept into fiction in the age of Enlightenment, and this Gothic underground has prevailed to our own day. In this collection, which includes Horace Walpole's the Castle of Otranto, tales by Clara Reeve, Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) and "Monk" Lewis, Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of The House of Usher, The White Old Maid by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, some of the masterpieces of this pervasive twilight fiction are found.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Gothic

465 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Carlos West]

A great way to introduce yourself to Gothic Horror! The 13 page introduction gives you a very good overview. Maybe you've read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and want to know what she was making fun of. The first 2 novels included are a must- The Castle of Otranto, The Old English Baron. Other works by Frankenstein author Mary Shelley are not easy to come by, her story The Heir of Mondolfo is included here. Only 2nd to Bram Stoker's Dracula, is Carmilla, also included! My only complaint is that Ann Radcliffe is not part of this anthology. After reading Seven Masterpieces of Gothic Horror read all of Radcliffe's works, then read Melmoth the Wanderer, and next Matthew Gregory Lewis's The Monk.

[Keith]

Although I am not convinced these seven belong together I enjoyed reading them and the small bits of background and footnotes provided. Carmilla is by far the one worth reading if you choose only one.

[Charles]

Masterpieces for sure. Some of the very first gothic tales, the precursor to horror.

[Pamela Morris]

So many original Gothic stories I'd always meant to read and some I'd never herd of before, all gathered together in one book! Horace Walpole's "Castle of Otranto", Clara Reeve's "The Old English Baron" & "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu just to name a few. A must read, imho, for anyone who enjoys Gothic Horror.

[Berslon Pank]

I found these stories incredibly boring.

[Jess Weston]

Fantastic selection of short stories showcasing the best in Gothic horror

[Kit Harrison]

I only read the Castle of Otranto. Not really what I was expecting.