Medusa’s Daughters: Magic and Monstrosity from Women Writers of the Fin-de-Siècle

by Theodora Goss (Editor)

After a period of decline, Gothic literature underwent a revival at the end of the 1800s. As the century turned, women writers such as Vernon Lee, Mary Coleridge, and Graham R. Thomson left an indelible mark on fantasy and horror literature. Like Medusa herself, their poetry and short stories embody the very essence of magic and monstrosity. But be warned, dear reader: when you gaze upon the face of a monster . . . well, the ordinary world may never look quite the same again.

Curated and annotated by award-winning fantasy author and Victorianist Theodora Goss, this collection of rare and strange gems serves as a tantalizing sampler of work by fin-de-siècle women writers, whose legacy still echoes in the speculative fiction we know and love today.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Gothic, Anthologies, Classics, Nonfiction, Mythology

301 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2020

About the author

Theodora Goss was born in Hungary and spent her childhood in various European countries before her family moved to the United States, where she completed a PhD in English literature. She is the World Fantasy and Locus Award-winning author of the short story and poetry collections In the Forest of Forgetting (2006), Songs for Ophelia (2014), and Snow White Learns Witchcraft (2019), as well as novella The Thorn and the Blossom (2012), debut novel The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter (2017), and sequels European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman (2018) and The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl (2019). She has been a finalist for the Nebula, Crawford, Seiun, and Mythopoeic Awards, as well as on the Tiptree Award Honor List. Her work has been translated into thirteen languages. She teaches literature and writing at Boston University and in the Stonecoast MFA Program.

Reviews

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enlightening book. Edited by Dr. Theodora Goss, who has a doctorate in studies of women's genre fiction of the 19th century, this book showcases short fiction and poetry that present views of women that are alternative to the mainstream depictions. Genre fiction could portray women in ways that were frowned upon by most of society, and which would not be accepted by the publishers of that day.

Dr. Goss has an excellent introduction where she enumerates the ways that genre fiction shined a spotlight on the problems of women in fiction: the silencing of women, the danger of femininity, the violence of patriarchy, and the portrayals of women as witches and/or goddesses.

Probably the most well-known story in the book is Charlotte Perkins Gilman's “The Yellow Wallpaper”, but my favorite in the book is Gilman's “When I Was a Witch”, where the first-person narrator has the ability to make all her wishes come true in causing the perpetrators of violence and cruelty to feel their victims' pain, but has a surprise when she attempts to give women the power to “come right into their full life, work and happiness”. Alas, this was a bridge too far in 1910, and is still an aspiration today.

[Meghan Coley · Rating 4 out of 5]

spooky and gothic poems & stories from og feminist writers? two thumbs up👍🏼👍🏼

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

neither three nor four stars feel quite right, so i'll settle with this. this is a very lovely selection of stories with nice little fantasy-themed poems interspersed between them

[J.C. Pillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medusa's Daughters is a fascinating collection of writing from women authors during the Fin-de-Siècle. I hadn't heard of many of the writers in here, which is really a shame. The only piece I had read before was "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. There are some delightfully spooky poems and short stories contained herein, and you're likely to find a new writer to explore.

[Jennifer Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful themed collection of work, highlighting the diversity of women writer's in a period where they are often neglected.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The experience of reading this reminded me a lot of the things I had to read for my literature degree, and that's not a bad thing. I loved so many of the short stories in here, they were gothic and macabre and it was especially interesting to see how they engaged with women's societal roles in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The poetry wasn't as interesting to me, but it's kind of rare for poetry to interest me in general, so I mostly skimmed through those. I thought the majority of the works curated for this collection fit really well together, and exposed me to some women authors I wasn't familiar with. Also, the illustrations!! Gorgeous!!! Lanternfish Press, I love you.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some absolute bangers in this collection, like the Yellow Wallpaper, but most of the stories were forgettable. So unfortunately, it felt like a slog to get through.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUMMARY: A collection of short fiction and poetry filled with gothic tales and creeping horrors from women writers of the late 1800s, featuring Kate Chopin, Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and many more. Embracing their inner Medusa, these writers use horror and genre to interrogate the societal expectations of their gender and twist the archetypes they’ve been relegated to in literature.
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REVIEW: The title perfectly captures what readers are in for. There is such a variety of work--folklore-inspired poems, ghost stories, twisted fairytales, dark satire--but all imbued with magic and monsters in all forms. I appreciated the inclusion of classics like Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” but I also discovered writers and stories completely new to me. One of my favorites was “Dionea” by Violet Paget, an epistolary story in which a little girl orphaned in a shipwreck grows more like her namesake from Greek mythology with every passing year. Just one of many beautiful and rich stories!
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The introduction by the collection’s editor, Dr. Theodora Goss, made this collection an accessible way to enjoy and engage with classic gothic literature. Dr. Goss explains the historical context that these women wrote in and the thematic connection to Medusa of mythology. She goes on to layout 12 archetypes or themes that were placed on women in literature, like “the silencing of women” and “the witch and/as the goddess,” and briefly delves into examples from the collection. It offers an easy starting point for readers to engage in their own critical reading of these stories and poems, even if they aren’t literary scholars. As a big book nerd, I really appreciated this aspect!
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There’s plenty to dig into for classic literature lovers, but I would also recommend this to anyone casually interested in feminist writers, gothic literature, or historical genre works. AND BONUS, the book features gorgeous illustrations.

[An · Rating 5 out of 5]

The myth of Medusa has always held a strong fascination for me, the way in which the Gorgo's curse has been transformed and reclaimed throughout the years from a punishment of the gods to feminist empowerment and protection from the patriarchy. In a similar manner, Medusa's Daughters explores the dichotomy and nuances of "monstrous women" through a series of poetry and short stories written by female authors from the late 19th and early 20th century. If you read enough of these types of compendiums, you'll begin to recognize the usual suspects: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, to name a few. Some of these also appear in Medusa's Daughters; however, the majority of the works consists of rare stories by obscure or forgotten fin de siècle writers. Theodora Goss has done an exceptional job of curating the collection and, in the process, introduced me to a few new favorites. I particularly enjoyed the selection of poetry by Olive Custance, Mary Coleridge, and Dora Sigerson Shorter. Many thanks to Lanternfish Press for sending me a copy of Medusa's Daughters.

[Ronald Koltnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anthology of macabre stories and poems by women writers from the turn of the last century, running from the humorous to the disturbing. Goss, a professor of literature and folklore, introduces writers with whom we may not be familiar — Charlotte Mew, Mary Wilkins Freeman. Sone big name authors contribute too — Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, and Kate Chopin. The poems all have a eerie, haunting quality. There are traces of feminism running through the stories and some vivid imagery. Tremendously enjoyable.

[Sarah Karasek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction to this anthology made me wish I'd taken a class in this subject. Highly informative. Even with such a specific topic, there's a pleasingly wide array of stories and poems. Personally, I was delighted with the strangeness of "Man-Size in Marble" by Nesbit and in love with Nesbit's voice in "The Princess and the Hedge-Pig." In other words, I think I've found author whose work I need to have a good look at. This book also includes work by Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, and Vernon Lee, among others.

[Lauryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally learned of this press because they published an edition of Carmilla introduced by Carmen Maria Machado, but when I was on their website I saw this beauty and knew I had to have it. I’m only just starting to fully appreciate Victorian/Gothic writing and this collection of short stories and poems taught me a lot about my taste. My only wish is that I was in a literature class that could dissect and contextualize all of these texts!!

[Amanda Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of Gothic and fairytale writings. I'm not much of a poetry person on the best of days, but I still enjoyed them. My favourite writings were:

Dionea - Vernon Lee
Bewitched - Edith Wharton
A Drowned Girl to Her Lover - Nora Hopper Chesson
A Ballad of Victory - Dollie Radford

The introduction was also very helpful in lining out key features/themes to look out for in fiction of this period. Would recommend!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories and poems from women writers -- many you may have missed. So many rich themes and subtext to unpack here!

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the Medusa conceit doesn't play out neatly in all the stories, there are some truly excellent ones that are creepy in the best way possible.