These are either my favourites of the genre, or otherwise work as really great introductions to Gothic literature. The Brontë sisters trail-blazed in the realm of the Gothic novel. Similarly, I actually think HBO’s True Blood is a good example of contemporary Gothic, moreso than the books because it actually expands the world. House of Leaves is definitely intimidating. Hopefully I’ve inspired you to pick up some Gothic literature. Thanks The Castle of Otranto is pretty much universally regarded as the origin of the genre, and was first published anonymously in 1764. Hi, folks, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and currently hosted by Jana at That Artsy Girl. It’s kind of cool seeing the book follow the literary tradition. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. For the most part, this actually worked and people did genuinely believe that what they were reading was true. Suddenly, she finds herself traveling to the extremely remote mountain town in Northern Italy where her family is from, and learning the secrets of her lineage. Reading The Turn of the Screw is a deliberately destabilizing experience—you never quite know who is telling the truth, because the characters don't, either. The House Next Door is an addition to the Southern Gothic tradition, set in the American South. But Dr. Sorcha Ní Fhlainn, a founding member of Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University and editor of Visions of the Vampire, says defining Gothic literature is not a concrete science. She and her sister live in a historic mansion (a classic Gothic trope), haunted not by ghosts but by memories. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890) Over the course of the 19th century, Irish gothic spawned the... 2. With the Gothic, it's about building tension. With Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is in conversation with many Gothic motifs, like atmospheric dread and haunted ancestral mansions. 4. It's a natural follow-up to Rebecca. Top 10 20th Century Gothic Novels From Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Young adult readers will be instantly transported by this Ray Bradbury novel, set at an enchanted carnival—and so will adults, for that matter. Following a boom in popularity in the Victorian Era, which saw defining works like Dracula and Frankenstein published, the Gothic novel continued to evolve through the 21st century. The catch? The Guardian: Top 10 Gothic Novels show list info From ETA Hoffman to Wilkie Collins and even Saki, here are some of the best examples of a genre that has only recently been recognised as 'proper' literature. We may earn commission from the links on this page. Radcliffe actually wrote The Italian in response to Matthew Lewis’ The Monk, which is a classic example of horror-Gothic. As opposed to earlier Gothic books, vampires aren't the villains—they're the morally ambiguous stars of the show. Here, the star is 16-year-old Juliet, the doctor’s daughter. Carmen Maria Machado wrote what might be the first modern Gothic memoir. Moving now to what is arguably the second most influential vampire novel, Interview with the Vampire. Great list – i’ve read 8 of your choices which really makes me feel that I should read the other two. A lot of Gothic novels were presented as if they were actually true, and not works of fiction. The Gothic often features unusual family structures, and the Blackwood family is unusual to say the least. Of horror-Gothic it ) popular to incredibly unpopular in absolutely no time at all it. These methods to post your comment: you are commenting using your Facebook account horror tends to be about! 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