Perhaps more so than the other vocabulary words we’ve discussed thus far (the sublime and the uncanny), “grotesque” is a term you’re just as likely to hear thrown about in casual conversation as in academic discourse on Gothic literature. We might use it to describe anything that’s bizarre, incongruous, unnatural, or gross. But where does it come from, and what does it mean in a literary context? Much like the word “Gothic” itself, grotesque has a convoluted and roundabout history that covers a wide range of meanings and takes us back to ancient times. Continue reading Gothic Vocab: The Grotesque
Gothic Tropes: Animate Portraits and Tapestries
The eyes of the portraits are watching you, seeming to follow you no matter where you go.… It’s such a classic scene in horror that we see this moment parodied in nearly every sitcom or children’s cartoon that has a haunted house episode. But where did this trope come from? To an extent, it’s inspired by an actual artistic phenomenon—an optical illusion called “ubiquitous gaze,” in which the artist’s use of perspective makes the subject appear to be looking at the viewer, no matter what angle the viewer approaches it from. In Gothic literature, however, a supernatural explanation is more likely. In fact, in several classic works, the portraits do quite a bit more than merely follow you with their eyes. Below are a few of my favorite examples of portraits and tapestries that come to life:
Continue reading Gothic Tropes: Animate Portraits and Tapestries
Review of Wicked Saints—Holiness and Heresy in a Fantasy World
A battle-hardened blood mage, a girl touched by the gods, and a monster forged by magic each have one goal: to overthrow the king. Delicate alliances, heartbreaking betrayals, and devious machinations fill the pages of Wicked Saints, the first book in Emily A. Duncan’s young adult fantasy series Something Dark and Holy. I picked up a copy of this book back when it first came out in 2019, but only just now got around to reading it—right in time for the trilogy’s conclusion! Book 2, Ruthless Gods came out last year and now the final book, Blessed Monsters, comes out tomorrow, April 6. If you haven’t hopped on this bandwagon yet, you’ll want to dive right in with Wicked Saints and then keep on reading the next two books. Just brace yourself to fall in love with some monsters! Continue reading Review of Wicked Saints—Holiness and Heresy in a Fantasy World
Review of Maplecroft–Lovecraft Meets Lizzie Borden
Take the story of Lizzie Borden and cross that with Lovecraft’s “The Shadow over Innsmouth”.… This is essentially the plot of Cherie Priest’s 2014 horror novel Maplecroft. This book has been on my to-read list for years now, and I finally got around to listening to the audiobook. If you love bold women swinging axes, casual queer representation, and eldritch beings emerging from the sea, you’ll want to pick this one up, too! Continue reading Review of Maplecroft–Lovecraft Meets Lizzie Borden
Review of Lost in the Never Woods–A Dark Peter Pan
What if Wendy’s brothers never came back from Neverland? Aiden Thomas, celebrated author of Cemetery Boys, is back with a dark and spooky twist on Peter Pan! Lost in the Never Woods is a YA fantasy novel that takes on one of the most iconic characters in children’s literature to explore the themes of trauma and grief. It comes out tomorrow, March 23. Continue reading Review of Lost in the Never Woods–A Dark Peter Pan
Pernicious Plants in Horror Fiction
Man vs. Nature. It’s a conflict at the core of so much of Gothic and horror fiction and takes a myriad of forms. But the most literal iteration of this trope when the story’s protagonists find themselves up against deadly, monstrous plants. From poisonous perfumes to strangling vines to invasions of invasive species, who knows what untold horrors might be hidden in the greenery around you! Below are a few of my favorite examples of people-killing plants throughout horror literature.
Early Vampire Poems
I’ve written before about the Vampire Literary Canon—some of the most popular works that cemented the vampire’s place as literature’s favorite monster. But before vampires worked their way into novels (like Bram Stoker’s Dracula), novellas (like J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla), or even short stories (like Polidori’s “The Vampyre”), many of the earliest appearances of these creatures in Western literature occurred in poetry. Below are a few of my favorite examples of early vampire poems:
Review of The Wife in the Attic—A Sapphic Jane Eyre
What if the governess fell in love with … the wife in the attic? This is essentially the premise of Rose Lerner’s new novel The Wife in the Attic, which was just released as an Audible Original last month. I’ve been devouring audiobooks like candy since the start of the pandemic, so what could be better than a queer reimagining of one of my favorite Gothic novels released exclusively in audio? And as someone who has always been way more sympathetic toward Bertha Mason than Mr. Rochester, The Wife in the Attic was everything I could ask for. Continue reading Review of The Wife in the Attic—A Sapphic Jane Eyre
Gothic Vocab: The Uncanny
This week I want to continue my series on Gothic vocabulary. You may remember back in November, I wrote about another vocab term—the sublime—which was central to the Romantic era’s conception of the Gothic. This time I want to discuss a twentieth-century term that to this day still crops up frequently in any discussion of the Gothic or of horror more broadly: the uncanny.
The Gentleman and the Thief Review
A music teacher who moonlights as a sneak thief and a penniless gentleman with a knack for uncovering secrets—what could possibly go wrong? The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden is the sequel to The Lady and the Highwayman, one of my favorite books from 2019. I’ve been keeping this cozy historical romance at the ready to serve as a comfort read during this dark and dreary winter, and I’m so glad I did. This book had everything I’ve come to expect from the Dread Penny Society series: an abundance of mystery, a sweet courtship between two lovable protagonists, and a clever interplay with the uniquely Victorian literary phenomenon of the penny dreadful. If you need to keep the love going post–Valentine’s Day, I can’t recommend this series enough! Continue reading The Gentleman and the Thief Review