Women's Classic Literature Enthusiasts discussion

Please nominate a book for October.
Maximum two books per member.

We thought we would try themes for some of the months of the year. Our suggested theme for October is Spooky Books.
Nominations are open from today until 10 September
Then the polls will be up from 11 to 17 September

Nominations thus far:

Frankenstein
The Haunting of Hill House
The Yellow Wallpaper
The Mysteries of Udolpho

I'd like to nominate Frankensteinby Mary Shelleyin keeping with the spooky theme.

Just an addendum
When nominating, please comment if you would be willing to lead the discussion if your book wins.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. This barely made the 50 year cut off. I can lead the discussion.

I also want to nominate a book I have been wanting to read for a while: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

I can lead the discussion of Frankenstein if it wins.

☯Emily wrote: "This barely made the 50 year cut off."

Is that the rule, the book has to be more than 50 years old?

Alexa wrote: "☯Emily wrote: "This barely made the 50 year cut off."

Is that the rule, the book has to be more than 50 years old?"

That's what I wondered too xD

There is a unresolved dispute among readers as to what makes a classic. I think that a book must have longevity of at least 50 years. Others say 25 years and others insist at least 100 years. I, personally, won't vote for a book that is less than 50 unless it has made a profound impact on the world. To Kill a Mockingbird is the only book I thought was a classic before it was 50 years old. It had a deep impact on US politics and on the Civil Rights movement.

However, we could be reading books in this group that don't meet that 50 year rule because we might be exploring African and Asian writers. I have been reading a lot of African literature lately and some of it is quite powerful. Most of these books have been written over the past 30 years.

OK, I wondered, because I was trying to go through my TBR list and figure out what counted as simultaneously "spooky" and as a "classic." The best I could come up with was The Bell Jar or Beloved. The Bell Jar, about mental illness, only tangentially counts as spooky (although I would say "horrifying"). Beloved is most definitely "spooky" but at only 27 years old it might be too "young" for some. (Although I have no doubt that it is indeed a masterful classic.)

I count Beloved as a classic.

Beloved might be a good choice if we have a category for American black writers. I wouldn't consider it a classic yet. I would consider Their Eyes Were Watching God , published in 1937, a classic.

This is a listing of black women writers, some which do have a longevity of 40-50 years: http://english.columbia.edu/black-wom...

I would think that The Bell Jar would be a good selection for October.

☯Emily wrote: "Beloved might be a good choice if we have a category for American black writers. I wouldn't consider it a classic yet. I would consider Their Eyes Were Watching God[bookcover:Their Ey..."

Thanks :)

Their Eyes Were Watching God has been on my TBR list for awhile, lol.

Nominations thus far

Frankenstein
The Haunting of Hill House
The Yellow Wallpaper
The Mysteries of Udolpho


I'm torn about the other two. I think Beloved was gorgeous and would be spooky, but it's young.

Then I love both The Bell Jar and Sylvia Plath; but as a psychiatrist I find it hard to call a book about mental illness a horror. Terrifying. Tragic. Desperate. Not a horror.

I'd like to clear these two points before I put up the poll.

I absolutely loved Their Eyes Were Watching God, but I'm mystified as to why anyone would have called it spooky; truly a masterpiece, but not a single supernatural or mystical element in it at all, that I can recall. (And amazingly enough, for a book dealing with early 20th century African-American experiences, not particularly horrifying either.)

The Yellow Wallpaper was also nominated. Definitely a classic, definitely spooky, but a short story, not all that long. (Although now that I think about it, the mental illness aspects might make some folks also reject the spooky label there too.)

Lisa wrote: "Nominations thus far

Frankenstein
The Haunting of Hill House
Their Eyes Were Watching God


I'm torn about the other two. I think Beloved was gor..."

I believe The Yellow Wallpaper was a nomination as well (by Emily).
We have so many good nominations!

Amended to include Emily's nomination(Sorry, missed it) and to retract mine if it's not spooky.

I think mental illness is a horror (horrible) for the person experiencing it but it's not horror as in: "I'm gonna freak out cuz there are so many evil vampires haunting this house." Two different usages of the same word.

I did not nominate Their Eyes Were Watching God for this month's read. I mentioned it as a old classic as compared to Beloved which might be considered a new classic.

I did mention The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories for this month's reading. The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story and is only one of the short stories in this book . We could include the other stories in the reading, although I am not sure if they are "spooky." This book with four/five short stories is only 70 pages.

If you don't want to consider The Yellow Wallpaper because of its length, we could substitute it with The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

I included Their Eyes were Watching God as my nomination, my wires were crossed. We could read the yellow wallpaper and the other stories.
I was wondering if Udolpho would come up.
It's your nomination Emily

Posted too soon.
It's your nomination Emily, it's up to you

☯Emily wrote: "If you don't want to consider The Yellow Wallpaper because of its length, we could substitute it with The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe."

OOh, yes, that IS spooky. Long, might need extra time, but spooky for sure. If it needs a second, I'll second it, but I can't volunteer to lead the discussion because I already have too many commitments here on GR.

I have two nominations already, so the Mysteries of Udolpho can be selected by someone else, like Everyman!

☯Emily wrote: "I have two nominations already, so the Mysteries of Udolpho can be selected by someone else, like Everyman!"

Okay, I'll nominate it, but I can't lead it.

I just thought of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I haven't read it since I was a kid, but I remember it as being very spooky!

Karlyne wrote: "I just thought of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I haven't read it since I was a kid, but I remember it as being very spooky!"

I have thought of quite a few spooky ones, but they were written by men.

Karlynne, he's male:-)

Hahaha! I do occasionally mix up my threads, but not often my genders...

OK, since I don't think either The Bell Jar or Beloved fit the categories as well as some of the other nominations, I would like to withdraw both nominations. Thanks!

Nominations are closed and the polls are up.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...