Classic Horror Lovers discussion

This is a thread for books that are not really horror, but fall into the gothic category.

Here is a link to the Wikipedia.org article about Gothic Fiction:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_f...

Top of the list has to be

"The Seance" by Jon Harwood

When I think of my favorite gothic novels, no matter what century, the first one that comes to my mind is always Rebecca.

I would like to read Rebecca.

I really love it, and I also love the 1940 B&W film. I think the two go together quite well. There are other productions of Rebecca--I've seen them all, junky that I am--but I still like the Hitchcock version best. Mrs Danvers is one of the all-time greatest villains, and nobody plays Mrs Danvers better than the great Judith Anderson.

Guido wrote: "Top of the list has to be

"The Seance" by Jon Harwood

"

I just requested The Seance from the library. I'm holding you to your assessment ;}.

I've seen the 1940 Hitchcock version. Excellent.

I'm sure that someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but

Ann Radcliffe's novels fall in this category that I have read.

The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Romance of the Forest
The Italian

And Horace Walpole

The Castle of Otranto

Rather more modern, but with historical settings and verrry Gothic, are the first three Patrick McGrath novels:

The Grotesque
Spider
Dr. Haggard's Disease.

All three are absolutely excellent portrayals of insanity, with the twist that it's only towards the very end of each one that you realise just how insane the narrator is. The Grotesque got turned into a film, apparently a fairly mediocre one starring Sting, and Cronenberg filmed Spider (starring Ralph Fiennes as the neatest-haired schizophrenic I've ever seen). The books are still better though.

His Asylum is an excellent Gothic as well.

I wasn't such a fan of Asylum myself, though I'm not really sure why because it got rave reviews. It started well enough, but I just lost my enthusiasm for it halfway through. His more recent ones haven't really grabbed me either.

Sounds like these might be good on audio . . .

I would consider The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (one of my favorites) to be gothic. It has an atmosphere that gives it a sinister, otherworldly feel. You don't quite know what is real and what isn't. It's an excellent story about the power of guilt.

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "I would consider The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (one of my favorites) to be gothic. It has an atmosphere that gives it a sinister, otherworldly feel. You don't quite know w..."

TSL is one of my all-time favorites. I read it for the first time in 1980 and it literally changed my life. One of the few books that ever has.

I just finished Carmilla--a great gothic/vampire/erotic/horror tale. Absolutely loved it.

MountainShelby, The Scarlet Letter was one of those required reading books in school that absolutely loved! Glad you enjoyed Carmilla.

I'm reading Woman in White, by Collins. I think it's more a gothic mystery. But it's early yet. Great atmosphere.

Great book!!!

I am amazed Charlotte Dacre wasn't burned at the stake for Zofloya. Wow, is this text openly sexual for a woman in her day . . . I keep reading passages, thinking "Did she just say that?" Of course it's not even as racy as a paperback romance novel by today's standards . . . but for a female author writing under a female name in 1806. Whew.

I was surprised at how graphic the sex is in Moll Flanders, although that is written by a man.

Oh yes, it sure was graphic. And worse, my grad school instructor kept asking us, as a group and alone in mandatory meetings in his office, "But does it work for you?" [on the level of pornography]. That was many, many years ago. I wouldn't answer him then, and I wouldn't answer him now. I still think, what a perv.

That seems like an inappropriate question to ask students!

Oh yes, very. I don't know if the guys answered him, LOL! Anyway, I did like the book, very much, a crazy romp. There was a film version that was quite good with Alex Kingston as Moll. Still working on Zofloya . . .

I started Moll, but I wasn't in the mood (no pun intended). I'll get back to it one day. I'm curious about Zofloya now...

I'll be sure to post a review. It's a very strange read on a number of levels--conventional in some aspects (the gothic machinery and language) and very atypical in other aspects. It's hard not to put on the psychobabble hat and think the author was working out some major anger issues in her personal life, which was also unconventional--three children out of wedlock for starters.

I read the synopsis. It sounds...interesting. Can't wait to read your review.

Two very recent books that I think are very gothic in their mood and atmosphere are The Thirteenth Tale and The Little Stranger. They definitely have the creepy house, slightly supernatural goings-on and other Gothic elements.

Rebecca would probably be my favorite older book in this category. I've never heard of Zofloya. I'll have to check that one out.

Best examples i have read are:

Dr Hyde and Mr Jekyll by Robert Louis Stevenson
The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers

The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers

new to me--thank you!

William Hope Hodgson is one of the grand men, classic authors of horror ;)

Admired by Lovecraft and co. Read supernatural horror essay by Lovecraft, he mentions all important classic names. From Le Fanu,Machen to Hodgson.

I am a big fan of Hodgson, which you probably know, Mohammed.

Yeah you have good taste in horror ;)

One of the authors i miss reading most is Hodgson. I dream about his collections seriously!

Thanks! He definitely knows how to spin a tale.