A Lady Bookish Confession & Gothic Literature Recommendations
Hello readers! Hope you are having a wonderful autumn day and an enjoyable spooky season. First off, I want to say thank you for all of your comments, messages, and overall support for this blog. I love hearing from ya’ll because otherwise I feel I am just writing into an empty void. So truly, thank you.
Confession time: I have not been as productive during this gothic literature month as I was planning. Why? Well, simply, I realize that this is not my genre. Don’t get me wrong- I enjoy dark, gothic tales, particularly classics from the Bronte sisters and the like. However, I had big plans to read so many gothic novels so I could pump out reviews and recommendations. But as I read, I realized that I cannot read this many dark and moody books in such a short period.
Why? I asked myself. As a teenager I read plenty of dark books, especially during my dystopian novel phase. But now, as an adult, I find myself gravitating more and more to classics and cozy books; books that are lighthearted or filled with good morals. Books that add something to my life.
Now does that mean I think gothic literature is filled with useless twaddle? In the words of Paul the apostle, by no means! I think it is important to read across genres because they can teach us many things and gain new ideas and persectives. I love that gothic literature looks at the battle of good and evil in humans, psychological spirals we can put ourselves in (and how isolation can make that worse), and offers tangential learning about history and culture. They are also just enjoyable on an escapism level.
So why am I telling you this?
Two reasons. One, I want to be transparent. I know I teased lots of juicy information and articles regarding this topic. But I am not going to post badly written or researched work because of it. Plus, I have a toddler who is mobile and loves to explore so my reading/writing time is significantly shorter than before. Being a mom is my most important job and everything else comes after that. Two, I think it gives us all a good reminder:
Read what you want to read.
Never feel pressure to read what is popular or deemed a ‘classic’. Never fill your head with words that negatively impact your emotions, which then can spill out to your words and actions. Resist the urge to read to please others or, if you are like me, to pump out content. Life is short and reading should be a treasured time. It is good to step outside of your reading comfort zone but never feel guilt for reading what you want to read.
Now that I have that off my chest, here is a small (but by no means exhaustive) list of gothic (and some dark academia, which I argue is a product of the gothic genre) literature that I would recommend to readers new to this genre:
-The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
-Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (also Jamaica Inn)
-Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
-Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
-Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
-Dracula by Bram Stoker
-The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
-The Hound of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-The Secret History by Donna Tartt
-If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
-The Starless Sea by Morganstern
What are your thoughts on the article? What gothic novels would you recommend?
Happy Reading!
Lady Bookish
P.S. In my introduction post, I mentioned I have an Instagram (@ladybookishblog) which I post more reviews and content. I am happy to announce I have just created a Facebook group! It is public and you can find it if you search ‘Lady Bookish’. Please go join- I want it to be a place of great literary discussion! I will be posting on there and would love to hear from all of you!