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justalifelonglearner · 7 months

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20 Haunting Books

It’s spooky season so I’m recommending 20 books that may, or may not, terrify you.

I have linked to free editions where possible and links with an asterisk are affiliate links for UK Bookshop.org. You obviously don’t need to use those links.

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The Monk by Matthew Lewis (1796)

A gothic horror novel that revels in the darkest of taboos

It can still horrify readers over 200 years after it was first published

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Italian by Ann Radcliffe (1797)

A response to The Monk

Dark, sombre, and sinister

Public Library UK / Oxford World's Classics*

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

Gothic horror with a scientific twist

A story about scientific experimentation, humanity, and monstrosity

Read the 1818 edition!

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Vampyre by John Polidori (1819)

A thinly veiled reference to Lord Byron and his tendency to drain the life out of the people that were enamoured with him

Short but creepy

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)

Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy I’ve come home, I'm so cold Let me in-a-your window...

A book about awful people doing awful things to each other

Set in the bleak Yorkshire moors (oh, Yorkshire, my beloved)

Project Gutenberg / Penguin English Library*

The Lifted Veil by George Eliot (1859)

Eliot tapped into the emerging tradition of Victorian horror

Very different to her other works

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskell (1861)

A spooky Gothic tale

This would also be perfect as a traditional Christmas Eve read

Public Library UK / Penguin Classics*

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

What could be scarier than the potential evil that lurks in yourself?

A mixture of genres

Project Gutenberg / Penguin Classics*

Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

The most famous vampire book ever written (maybe?)

I always want to make chicken paprikash after reading this book

Project Gutenberg / Penguin Classics*

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)

This book never loses its edge

Psychological horror

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M. R. James (1901)

I really like M. R. James' short ghost story collections

A twist on classic Gothic tropes

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson (1949)

Suburban horror

Some of these stories still haunt me

Penguin Modern Classics*

I am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954)

Post-apocalyptic horror

A very tense story with a great ending

Orion Publishing Co.*

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975)

Terrifying

Hodder Paperbacks*

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter (1979)

Uses traditional stories - fairytales and folklore - and transforms the horror that was always in them into something more potent for a modern audience

Focuses heavily on gender issues

Vintage Publishing*

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (1984)

One of the best contemporary Gothic novels I've ever read

A Victorian-style ghost story

Vintage Publishing*

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (1994)

A little different to the other books on this list

Haunting and sad

Vintage Publishing*

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (2018)

Historical fiction

An unsettling book

Bloomsbury*

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (2020)

A book that is full of suspense and terror and confusion

Bloomsbury*

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020)

A wonderful, strange mixture of Gothic horror and Gothic terror

Compelling characters and an intriguing mystery

Quercus Publishing*

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Happy reading!

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justalifelonglearner · 10 months

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So uh….some dude apparently recreated Adobe Photoshop feature-for-feature, for FREE, and it runs in your browser.

Anyway, fuck Adobe, and enjoy!

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justalifelonglearner · 1 year

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literally not a single soul asked

but, i'm going to share anyway. here are my favorite reads this year in no particular order:

Fiction - Novels

Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" (Honestly, a masterpiece. I can't wait to devour his entire library. Read it. No notes.)

Leo Tolstoy's "Ana Karenina" (If you're looking for your next existential crisis, here ya go.)

Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" (I know I'm super late reading this and the whole world has already been in love with it for ages, now I finally know why.)

Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (In all fairness, this is on my list every year).

Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" (This is also always on my list, idec. Shelly's monster may teach you a bit about being human.)

Stephen's Fry's "Mythos" (Honestly, just a super fun read. Really good starting point if you're a budding Hellenic or into ancient Greek mythology, in my opinion. As long as you take it as a starting off point for further research and understand that he has put it together to be entertaining.)

Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" (You will never love a book so much where 97% of the characters and their actions are entirely insufferable. You might wonder why you began, but won't be able to stop and will be grateful that you didn't. Handsomely and meticulously written, as well.)

Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" (Historians, anthropologists, romance, and vampires. Chef's kiss.)

Madeline Miller's "Circe" (I JUST LOVE IT OKAY)

Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" (I will never take criticism about this book. No notes, lmao.)

Fiction - Novellas

H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dunwitch Horror"

H.P. Lovecraft's "The Lost City"

H.P. Lovecraft's "The Festival"

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla"

Aristophanes' "Lysistrata" (Every moment of this will have you saying what the actual fuck lmao)

Non-Fiction

Viktor Frankl's "A Man's Search For Meaning" (Just saying, this is written by a Holocaust survivor who is also a psychologist. There are graphic depictions of his sufferings. Major trigger warnings and all that - but, I still highly recommend as this is a really life changing book. His message and eloquence touched me in an indescribable way.)

Walter Burkett's "Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical" (Really, I recommend this as required reading to all Hellenics and those interested in ancient Greek religion.)

Dorsey Armstrong's audiobook, "Medieval Myths & Mysteries"

Lacy Collison-Morley's "Greek and Roman Ghost Stories"

Anne Baring and Jules Cashford's "Myth of the Goddess: An Evolution of an Image"

Estelle B. Freedman's "The Essential Feminist Reader"

Alexandra Kollontai's "The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman"

Bernadotte Perrin's Translation of Plutarch's "The Parallel Lives" (Juicy Roman drama).

Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations"

Robert Graves' Translation of Suetonius' "The 12 Caesars" (Juicy Roman tea, with a hint of bias though)

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justalifelonglearner · 2 years

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♡ channel your inner elle woods and dive into your studies with a “what, like it’s hard?“ mindset

studying will only be hard if you assume it to be. uplift yourself before starting your study session. go on a rampage on how you’re the best student at your school and that you’re successful at everything you do! the only person that will be with you from the beginning till the end is you. be your own cheerleader despite it all.

♡ romanticize your studies

life is better when you romanticize it and nothing beats playing some music to level your head, looking at photos & scenes of your favorite characters studying and acing their tests!

clean your desk, light some candles, buy cute stationary, pretend you’re being filmed, visualize how it would feel when you have straight A’s and see that perfect score on the corner of your test/exams.

make a playlist with a cute cover and choose a vibe. dark or light academia? classics? rnb? cafe jazz? make it fun. mix it all together or make multiple playlists for the different moods you’ll be in. don’t listen to lyrical music. i recommend brown noise! and going to a cafe or a library helps me focus a lot. the background chatter doesn’t ever get too much for me so it gets easy for me to tune it out.

bambi’s supplies:

kokuyo campus binder notebooks

papier planners

laohaster aesthetic highlighters - 1 & 2

tombow dual brush pen markers

0.35 pens + muji 0.38 pens

paper mate gel pens

aesthetic book tabs

kraft paper sticky notes

index card case

♡ finding a study place

i love to study at libraries and local cafes. i also use this time to go on adventures to explore my city and find hidden gems. make sure it’s a place where you like the vibe, there are no distractions. something about looking like that mysterious, studious girl who stays to herself >>>>

before you indulge in your studies, be aware of your surroundings. get familiar with the place by grazing your eyes over the area and begin :)

make a checklist of all the items you need. laptop, charger, pens, notebooks, textbooks, a book to read if you want to spend more time at the place you’re at, headphones, calculator, etc!

if you’d rather stay inside, make your area is clean of clutter and clear of distractions.

♡ time management

now that you’ve set out a place, let’s talk about time. what hours in the day work for you? morning, afternoons or at night? what weekdays work the best for you to keep up with this schedule?

be reasonable with yourself here. pick a time where your schedule is free and you won’t be distracted by obligations. tell your friends and family you’ll be busy during those hours on selected weekdays, not everyday will be the same. life can be hectic so this is where you take responsibility. work around your appointments. make use of your time and run flash cards while you wait to get called in or you’re in line, while you exercise, get creative!

setting time away to eat and make sure you drink enough water is not equally but more important than any other thing. take care of yourself.

utilize your time wisely. no one and nothing is going to achieve those goals. you are.

now, let’s actually get into how i study.

♡ scheduling & staying on track

create a system that works for you. keep a list of all of your assignments, finals, exams, tests, projects in an excel spreadsheet organized and ascended by the due dates and the progress of its completion. here are two very simple examples i made.

as you progress through the list, it’s always so good to see the growing checkmarks! like yes, you did that and you can continue doing so! i always advocate for keeping track of your accomplishments no matter what ♡

as for day to day classes and schedules, you can use notion or google calendar. there are plenty of cute and practical templates out there to use.

let me know if i should share mine or make some

♡ how i study, stay ahead, and be the best student i can be

the most important thing a student can do is put themselves first! find out what works for you. your strengths, your weaknesses, and obstacles you tend to come across and work around them to make the best out of it.

we’ve already covered the topics of time and place so great! now, that you’re all set, additional things i keep in mind to make sure i am all nice and comfortable are…

making sure i am comfortable. the temperature, clothes i am wearing, if i feel safe at the cafe/library/room i’m in.

i can’t focus or do anything on an empty stomach so get a small meal before you start and keep water and snacks with you!

the most important questions of all: are there any illnesses you have that affect your studying and focus? what is something you often find that gets in your way?

as hard as dealing with illnesses gets on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget that it can affect your studies just as much. you need to work with them. i used to think i was stupid, slow, and downright crazy for not understanding material right away or for how easily distracted i got because of my random bursts of energy. then it just dawned upon me one day and i said “oh… duh?”

so, what did i do? i found out what worked for me, monitored my studying techniques and personally modified them to work better with my attention deficit.

tackle the important tasks first. low maintenance assignments like reading and writing notes on a section, annotations, and worksheets can wait if they’re easy but this way might not be for everyone.

the reason why i advise this is because at the beginning of a study session, i have the most energy/brain power so i’d rather shift my energy towards the assignments that need more of my focus!

plan what tasks you intend on focusing on that day. look at your assignment spreadsheet. which ones are more important/urgent? due the soonest? write them out in order and follow the list.

immediately writing down my thoughts. i’m very forgetful so making this a habit has helped me so much for when i get any new ideas and remember to do something very important.

find out what learning style fits you. visual, auditory, reading and writing, kinesthetic. making powerpoints, study guides, drawing diagrams, color coding systems, interactive notes. cater your study methods to your needs. here is a pinterest board with examples!

take a self assessment quiz. if you want, check these quizzes out to figure out what kind of learner you are and what study habits you can improve! remember that you can always be more than one thing just because quizzes give you a single result. you know you!

active recall. it’s a study method to help with retention, memorization, and informational retrieval. it reduces forgetfulness all the while actively stimulating your brain rather than writing notes, highlighting text information.

separate the topics + subtopics and in the end, when you feel confident, jumble them together.

flashcards! i love them. you can use quizlet which has a spaced repetition system where it will bring back material you got wrong so you can focus on it extensively. physical flashcards and manually having to write them out is also a form of memorization!

practice testing (not multiple choice) online or finding them on a textbook, ask a friend to quiz you or ask questions to yourself and try to answer them accurately.

pretend to give a lecture. i love this one the most because if you know the subject very well, you can pretend to explain it to a peer and even a middle schooler so that it gives you a chance to simplify the material so it’s easy for them (and you) to retain.

while using flashcards and lecture techniques, it helps me when my adhd flares up and i really can’t seem to stay still or keep from making noise. i can walk around my room & talk aloud, walk on a treadmill, and move my body!

i study until it becomes natural for me to know the answer, not because i recognize the term.

check your work and understanding to make sure that all of the information you’re studying is correct! it won’t hurt to do a little review here and there. you never know when a mistake might’ve snuck it’s way in.

make your own study guide. (if that’s your method) for every unit and section, covering every topic. this can be on google docs and whenever you learn something new that you think is important to know, add it via docs app or write it on a notepad so that you can fill it in later.

on the go. you don’t have to do this ALL the time (or at all) but if you think you need more time to soak your mind with information but you’re on a bus, waiting in line, etc. pull out your flashcards or google docs app to quickly review. there’s no harm in that! (just make sure you’re aware of your surroundings please)

OFFICE HOURS! go to office hours even if you don’t have any specific questions or struggles! it’s always an extra learning opportunity because you can listen to teachers and teaching assistants answer questions you might have later on AND the more you attend office hours, you’ll build a connection and get to know the teachers. that is always important.

starting assignments ahead of time. don’t put off working on a project just because it’s due in 3 weeks or so. start ahead of time so you don’t stress yourself out and cram. stretch them out. plus, even if you don’t actually put yourself to work, get a feel of the materials you’ll need to know, the instructions, etc because if you have any questions, you’ll have more/easy access to teachers for help since not many people will be there at the beginning of when a project is assigned.

ADVANCE READING! this is so fun to do. you basically just read ahead on current/future topics the teacher will cover to grasp onto the information. write down any questions you have and personally ask the teacher for a more clear answer for your understanding.

i love doing this because when the time comes of the teacher covering the topic, light bulbs just keep going off in my head! it’s exciting. it gives me room for me to retain and write any additional information the teacher says.

do not multitask. remember, if multitasking has always worked for you, don’t stop! for me, it’s truly better to focus on the task at hand to strengthen skills and concentration rather than having to do 2 or 3 different things at once. efficiency is key and staying true to one task at a time is the best way to do so.

BUT when my adhd gets in the way, be consistently inconsistent. don’t unnecessarily guilt trip yourself when you suddenly feel like doing another task. go with the flow. follow whatever your brain feels like doing at the moment! MOVEMENT IS MOVEMENT.

additional tip: take breaks at certain times even if you don’t feel like it. like the advice above, it doesn’t necessarily have to be resting. it can be as simple as taking a trip to get a beverage, tidying up your area, something easy & light to keep your mind occupied and to avoid burn out.

breaking down the assignments into sections. this defeats procrastination. it can seem overwhelming when all the information is pieced together into one so divide the tasks into small sections.

ex. read one chapter in the textbook, start writing down terms to know, annotate. move onto the next.

study groups. it’s collaborative— a chance to ask and also help others on topics you don’t know and make connections! the smaller the better in my opinion.

don’t look at studying as something you “have" to do. it’s an activity. a choice. it can either be stressful or something you can easily get through— how you approach this will ;

participate! ask questions! don’t be afraid to ask questions and raise your hand to put your two cents in when it’s an open discussion! just do it.

focus on the now. don’t overwhelm yourself by looking at all the assignments you have due. the task you’re working on at the present moment is the one that needs the most attention and focus.

advice from others won’t always work for you. we are all different! what might work for others won’t always work for you. this is why it’s important to monitor your study sessions, habits, behaviors, and find out what works and what you like better through trial and error.

except for when i tell you to take care of yourself. if there’s anything you should take away from my posts, it is to put your needs first. always!

♡ keeping up momentum. motivation vs. self discipline.

“think of motivation as a power boost at the starting line and your foot pressing on the pedal of your car is discipline, it’s what keeps you going forward on your journey. motivation, as fleeting as it is won’t bring you far but self-discipline will.“

remind yourself of the life you want to live, the businesses you will own, the cases you’ll win, the people you’ll be able to help with your knowledge, the feelings you’ll have because of your amazing accomplishments if you just keep. on. going.

read the “continuing to strengthen self discipline” section in my dream girl guide post. i guarantee it will help in finding what really works best for you when it comes to identifying roadblocks and how to work around these struggles.

KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM. you’ve been on top of your game so when it comes to engaging in activities that don’t revolve around school work, make it worthwhile. stay off your phone, say no to silly distractions and do something you’ll thoroughly enjoy. paint, draw, write, read a book, go on a walk! this will keep you going in doing your very best every day and it doesn’t have to be a strenuous activity! stagnancy who?

DOING ANYTHING THAT BRINGS YOU JOY AND FULFILLMENT IS PRODUCTIVE.

♡ the most important tips of all

TAKE BREAKS. GO TO SLEEP. EAT WELL.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

DO NOT PUT THIS ON THE BACK BURNER. you want good grades and to do your very best, that can’t happen unless you TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

if it’s past your usual bedtime and your eyes are drooping, struggling to stay open, how are you able to retain all the information from that moment on? go to bed because then you’ll get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be refreshed for your next day’s class! OR if you don’t have class, you’ll be able to bounce back into studying in amazing condition.

PAMPER YOURSELF.

good heavens, take a shower, wash your face, go for a walk, move your body, stretch, take time to just stay to yourself. enjoy the silence, play some calming music, watch a show, take a nap. your body is a temple, treat it with love.

if you’re constantly stressed out all the while continuously flooding your brain with so much information without resting:

it decreases concentration → you won’t be able to retain any new information (so studying is automatically deemed useless) → poor sleep → you attend class and your inability to focus and overall school performance has degraded→ you isolate yourself from social interactions → fall into depression → difficulty picking yourself back up and the list goes on…

in summary, you will not be able to continue and put in your best work.

always remember that pushing yourself past your limit does more harm than good.

you WILL crash and all that hard work will go to waste once you’re physically and mentally unable to show up for yourself.

and if it means you have to get anything lower than a 80, IT IS OKAY. nothing is worth more than your health. trust me.

♡ helpful resources

zlibrary + openlibrary - free online libraries

websites for research that is not google

weava highlighter - highlight text from pdfs and the web, add and organize notes and be able to access later! lifesaver.

99 legal sites to download literature

speechify - text to speech reader

not robotic. comes in many different voices and languages

aids in: easy reading, improve comprehension, multitaskers

adjustable reading speed

mercury reader - gets rid of clutter from articles for easy reading

grammarly - grammar and writing check

beeline reader - color gradient to help read easier

group your tabs for easy organization (for mac users: control + click)

piktochart - create infographics

spot misinformation - masterpost

desmos - free online graphing calculator

paper rater - essay scoring

pdf2go + cloudconvert - file converters

internet archive - free books, movies, software, music, websites…

slidesgo - google slides and powerpoint templates

pomodoro timers - tide w/ white noise + otto w/ a website blocker

remember to drink water

more very helpful resources

okay my love! that’s all for this post. i wish you the best! ₊˚⊹♡ as always, here is the google doc version

— kisses from straight a student, bambi ♡

SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION

INVEST IN YOURSELF: FALL + SCHOOL EDITION GUIDE HERE

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justalifelonglearner · 2 years

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Women’s History Month #1 - Women in Early Gothic Literature

Originally posted at warmdayswillnevercease.wordpress.com - I encourage you to read the post on WordPress if you can because the formatting is much better than this and it includes images.

This post focuses on just a few women who wrote Gothic fiction in eighteenth-century Britain but I’ll be looking at other Gothic writers in another post later in the month!

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Clara Reeve (1729 – 1807)

Clara Reeve is probably best known for writing The Old English Baron (which I reviewed here) and, while this book will be the main focus of this section, I think it’s important to note that she also wrote an innovative history of prose fiction entitled The Progress of Romance (1785).[1] She also translated Latin texts, which was an unusual language for a woman to learn in eighteenth-century Britain, and her first published work – The Phoenix (1772) – was a translation of Argenis by John Barclay.

The Old English Baron (1778), originally published anonymously as The Champion of Virtue in 1777, was written in response to Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764). The novel is set in medieval England – specifically during the reign of Henry VI – and follows the adventures of Sir Philip Harclay who returns to England and discovers that his friend has died. However, all is not as it seems.

In the preface, Reeve stated that:

This Story is the literary offspring of The Castle of Otranto, written upon the same plan, with a design to unite the most attractive and interesting circumstances of the ancient Romance and modern Novel, at the same time it assumes a character and manner of its own, that differs from both; it is distinguished by the appellation of a Gothic Story, being a picture of Gothic times and manners.[2]

Reeve attempted to make the Gothic genre, specifically Walpole’s tale, fit with the ideals and preferences of eighteenth-century Britain, balancing fantastical elements with eighteenth-century realism, and E. J. Clery describes the novel as a “rewriting of Otranto as Pamela in fancy-dress with a spice of the paranormal, an illustrative conduct-book for the proper correlation of wealth and virtue”.[3] The Old English Baron is an almost sanitised version of the Gothic, wholly un-Gothic in places but attempting to cling onto the trendiness of Walpole’s new genre. Despite these un-Gothic traits, The Old English Baron was a major influence on the development of Gothic fiction and Reeve’s contributions to the genre can generally be seen in the ways that she diverted from Walpole’s original tale.

Perhaps Reeve’s most important contribution to the genre was her attempt to find an appropriate formula that would ensure that Gothic fiction is believable and coherent. This is where Reeve differed so greatly from Walpole. Instead of revelling in the excess of Walpole’s Gothic novel, with its gigantic helmets and a skeleton ghost in a hermit’s cowl, Reeve focused on emotional realism in order to keep her novel within the realm of what was probable. In a letter to Rev. William Mason in 1778, Walpole stated that The Old English Baron was “so probable, that any trial for murder at the Old Bailey would make a more interesting story,” ridiculing the concept of a probable ghost-story.[4] I doubt that Reeve cared what Walpole thought of her Gothic novel but he seemed annoyed by the comparisons that reviewers made between the two.

Ultimately, Reeve did not want the Gothic genre to fall into the realm of the absurd and her influence can be seen in the writing of Ann Radcliffe.

Ann Radcliffe (1764 – 1823)

Ann Radcliffe was the most popular writer of her day and Nathan Drake even called her “the Shakespeare of romance-writers”.[5] High praise indeed considering that Bardolatry was alive and well by this point. Radcliffe’s novels were all best-sellers but, along with most novels at the time, they were looked down upon by those who thought themselves ‘well-educated’ as Gothic novels were considered sensationalist nonsense.

Firstly, I’m just going to list Radcliffe’s novels because I will not be able to talk about all of them in detail in this post:

The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789)

A Sicilian Romance (1790)

The Romance of the Forest (1791)

The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)

The Italian (1796)

Gaston de Blondeville (1826) – published posthumously

The Mysteries of Udolpho is perhaps Radcliffe’s most famous novel but I actually prefer The Romance of the Forest and The Italian. We’re all allowed to have opinions.

Radcliffe developed the explained supernatural – which just means that every seemingly supernatural intrusion is eventually traced back to natural causes. This is also an element of what scholars (sometimes) refer to as the ‘female Gothic’. I’d say that this is an outdated term because the ‘female Gothic’ is notoriously difficult to define and it is not simply the body of Gothic literature written by women – although that is what Dr Ellen Moers originally intended the term to mean – but it is still used to describe certain types of Gothic literature. Radcliffe’s novels differ from those of Horace Walpole and Matthew Lewis, both of whom indulged in the supernatural, and her attempts to make Gothic more respectable (by removing the truly supernatural aspects of the genre) led to her work being considered a different form of Gothic literature. Radcliffe’s The Italian is actually a response to Matthew Lewis’ The Monk (which was inspired by The Mysteries of Udolpho) and if you compare the two novels then you can clearly see the differences between Radcliffe’s work and Lewis’.

One of Radcliffe’s talents was creating a sense of the sublime through the visual elements of her work, allowing readers to feel the same terror as the characters. Radcliffe considered the sublime to be the biggest motivator of her heroines and heroes. Sublime experiences of nature were cleverly woven into her plots to create a sense of pleasing terror. I think this is perhaps most evident in The Mysteries of Udolpho. I honestly don’t think that there was another Gothic writer that could capture the sublime of nature in the way that Radcliffe did. She was a master at her craft.

Radcliffe was also influential for later writers. Matthew Lewis and the Marquis de Sade produced more violent works of Gothic literature but they were clearly inspired by Radcliffe. There was even the ‘Radcliffe School’, a collection of imitators such as Harriet Lee and Catherine Cuthbertson, and Jane Austen famously parodied The Mysteries of Udolpho in Northanger Abbey. I’d argue that Austen’s parody is born out of a love for, and an understanding of, Radcliffe’s work because she clearly read her novels to parody them so well in Northanger.

Without Ann Radcliffe, Gothic literature would not be what it is today.

Eliza Parsons (1739 – 1811)

Parsons turned to Gothic writing because the genre was incredibly popular in the 1790s and, although critics often claimed her works were ill-written and disorganised, her novels were influential. Parsons was best known for writing The Castle of Wolfenbach (1793) and The Mysterious Warning (1796), two of the seven Gothic titles (also known as the Horrid Novels) that are recommended by a character in Jane Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey.[6] Both were published by the Minerva Press, a publishing house that specialised in sentimental and Gothic fiction.

The Castle of Wolfenbach is an early work in the genre, predating Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho and Monk Lewis’ The Monk (a novel that I should write a post about in the future but March is Women’s History Month so not this month), and it’s a very typical Gothic novel which features tropes such as the damsel in distress, gloomy Gothic architecture, the discovery of scandalous family secrets, and a final confrontation between forces of good and evil. It is rather anti-Catholic, as many Gothic novels were, and it features a pro–English Protestant sentiment. Many early Gothic novels were anti-Catholic. It was usually a reaction to the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1791 and other Catholic emancipation movements in Britain at the time. This novel tends to lean towards the ‘female Gothic’ characteristics that can be found in Radcliffe’s work as the heroine tricks her way into an inheritance while pretending to be vulnerable and innocent. (I really hate the term ‘female Gothic’ but I just have to deal with it.) However, it does feature a villain with incestuous intentions and some rather explicitly violent scenes. It’s a good read.

The Mysterious Warning is another typical Gothic novel that focuses on the tropes of dark family secrets and ghostly apparitions and, just like The Castle of Wolfenbach, it also deals with taboo subjects such as incest. For some reason, incest was a popular subject in Gothic novels and novellas – Dr Jenny DiPlacidi wrote an entire book about it – and incestuous uncles are found in too many Gothic novels to count. The Mysterious Warning is a good Gothic novel. It doesn’t do anything special but you get everything you want from a Gothic novel and I applaud Parsons for that.

Parsons wrote Gothic novels that were brimming with Gothic tropes. If you can think of a Gothic trope then it’s probably in one of these two novels. I know that Parsons got into the genre because it was a lucrative opportunity for her but she certainly understood the Gothic genre and its formula. Parsons may not have been as influential or as experimental as Radcliffe (or even Reeve) but she knew how to write a thrilling Gothic story.

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That’s it! I really enjoyed researching and writing this post about three early Gothic writers – who just happen to be women – and what better way to start my Women’s History Month posts than by celebrating the women that played a role in the development of early Gothic literature.

If you enjoyed this post or found it interesting then please consider buying me a coffee or, if you’re interested in any of the books I’ve talked about in this post, check out my bookshop.org UK* list which features all of the books I’ll be talking about during Women’s History Month!

This post contains affiliate links that are clearly marked with an asterisk (*). I will receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.

Footnotes:

1. Clara Reeve, The Progress of Romance (London: 1785) via ECCO 2. Clara Reeve, The Old English Baron (London: 1778) via ECCO 3. E. J. Clery, Women’s Gothic (Northcote House, 2000) 4. Horace Walpole to Rev. William Mason (8th April 1778) – via The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University, p.381 and p.382 5. Nathan Drake, Literary Hours, or Sketches Critical and Narrative (London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1798), p.249 6. Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008)

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justalifelonglearner · 2 years

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Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

319K notes · View notes

justalifelonglearner · 2 years

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15 Long Books (Part One)

More book recommendations! These books are between 400 and 750 pages long and This is part one of my 'long books' recommendations because the second post will focus on books between 750 and 1,000 pages.

The number of pages given in this post correspond to the editions I’m recommending. Some editions will be longer and some will be shorter but, for the most part, these are the editions I’ve read.

This post contains affiliate links for bookshop.org.uk. You obviously don't need to use them. I've also linked to free editions where possible.

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Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (1990)

416 pages (Transworld Publishers Ltd)

Fantasy / Comedy

This is, hands down, one of my all-time favourite books. Considering it's a book about the Son of Satan and the apocalypse, the story is full of wit and utterly charming. A perfect collaboration between two excellent writers. GNU Terry Pratchett.

UK Bookshop.org*

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1995)

448 pages (Scholastic)

Also published under the title The Golen Compass; the first book in the His Dark Material series

Young Adult Fantasy

Pullman really packed as much into this novel as he could and it's fantastic. Everything from parallel universes and mystical 'dust' to sentient human souls and an oppressive Church. It was a childhood favourite that remains a favourite to this day.

UK Bookshop.org*

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2012)

454 pages (Scholastic)

The first book in The Raven Cycle

Fantasy / Young Adult (?)

Blue, the only non-psychic in a family of psychic women, meets four private school boys and they go on a quest to find Glendower (Owain Glyndŵr), a lost Welsh king who is buried somewhere on a ley line in Virginia. I think that this is a very good introduction to an excellent series.

UK Bookshop.org*

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman (2012)

464 pages (Transworld Publishers Ltd)

Historical fiction

This one made me cry. Not many books make me cry.

UK Bookshop.org*

Renaissance Women Poets (2001)

464 pages (Penguin Classics, includes supplementary material)

A collection of works by three Renaissance poets: Isabella Whitney, Mary Sidney, and Aemilia Lanyer.

This is a really good collection if you want to know more about women writers in Renaissance England because it includes a decent sample of their work (although I do wish Sidney's was a little more varied) and a short biography for each writer.

Some of these works are available online, such as Lanyer's Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, but having it all in one collection is nice.

UK Bookshop.org*

The Italian by Ann Radcliffe (1797)

464 pages (Oxford World's Classics)

Gothic

First published in 1797 as a response to Matthew Lewis' The Monk (1796)

One of my favourite novels from the Queen of Gothic literature! Radcliffe’s take on the character of the sinister monk results in this dark, sombre read.

Public Library UK / UK Bookshop.org*

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1874)

476 pages (Penguin English Library)

Genre: Novel

A book full of scandal and compelling characters set against a backdrop of the harsh realities of a farming community in Victorian England

Project Gutenberg / UK Bookshop.org*

Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1862)

490 pages (Penguin English Library)

Mystery / Sensation novel

More Victorian scandals! I really love how Braddon leans into the Gothic mode in this novel, utilising aspects of the genre to give her story more layers.

Project Gutenberg / UK Bookshop.org*

The Last Man by Mary Shelley (1826)

512 pages (Oxford World's Classics)

Post-apocalyptic fiction

There's so much to love about this book but it's also very emotional. In this book, Shelley memorialised her husband and her lost friends and the failed Romantic political ideals they championed.

Project Gutenberg / UK Bookshop.org*

Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris (2005)

512 pages (Transworld Publishers Ltd)

Mystery / Psychological Thriller

Private school boys doing private school things with a deadly twist! I thoroughly enjoyed this book but, in particular, I loved Harris' narrative choices.

UK Bookshop.org*

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (2020)

576 pages (Raven Books)

Historical fiction / Mystery

Set upon a ship heading towards Amsterdam, The Devil and the Dark Water is a compelling mystery in which a demon seems to be stalking the deck of the ship. This is not just a boat book it's an M&S boat book but the isolated setting was so clever!

UK Bookshop.org*

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (2002)

548 pages (Little Brown Book Group)

Historical fiction

This was the first historical novel I ever truly enjoyed. Waters captures the feeling of Victorian literature without resorting to cliches and it's wonderful. Also, this is one of the best pieces of lesbian fiction I've ever read.

UK Bookshop.org*

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker (2013)

646 pages (HarperCollins)

Historical fantasy

This book is SO GOOD. It tells the intertwined stories of Chava, a golem, and Ahmed, a djinni, who are just trying to survive in a world in which they do not belong.

UK Bookshop.org*

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell (1863)

688 pages (Oxford World's Classics)

Genre: Novel

Beautifully written and full of life! Many of the characters have dark secrets that are slowly revealed over the course of the novel.

I'd also highly recommend North and South and Mary Barton, both of which are by Gaskell.

Project Gutenberg / UK Bookshop.org*

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (1859)

702 pages (Penguin English Library)

Mystery / Sensation novel

This is an early example of a detective novel and it's so good! One major theme of the novel is the unequal position of married women in law in Victorian England and Collins was inspired by the real-life case of Louisa Nottidge. It's a super interesting book.

Project Gutenberg / UK Bookshop.org*

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I'll be doing genre recommendations too at some point in the future (and maybe even a list of short story collections) so if there's anything you'd like to see please do let me know!

If you liked this post, please consider supporting me over on Ko-fi! Anyone who supports me can choose a book from my current TBR to be read and reviewed.

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justalifelonglearner · 2 years

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15 Victorian Ghost Stories

Ghost stories are only for Hallowe'en, right? Wrong! In Victorian Britain, ghost stories were told on Christmas Eve and, in the introduction to Told After Supper, Jerome K. Jerome noted that:

Whenever five or six English-speaking people meet round a fire on Christmas Eve, they start telling each other ghost stories. Nothing satisfies us on Christmas Eve but to hear each other tell authentic anecdotes about spectres. It is a genial, festive season, and we love to muse upon graves, and dead bodies, and murders, and blood.

Since Christmas Eve is in a few days for those who celebrate, I wanted to recommend some of my favourite Victorian ghost stories. Y'know, to get people in the festive mood. For those who don’t celebrate, please enjoy these ghost stories nonetheless because they are great and you can read them whenever you want to. I just wanted an excuse to post this list!

Anyways, I’ve included links to free online versions of these stories because we all love free things but if you enjoy this post, please consider supporting me over on Ko-fi!

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The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell (1852)

An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1853)

The Haunted House by Charles Dickens, Hesba Stretton, George Augustus Sala, Adelaide Anne Procter, Wilkie Collins, and Elizabeth Gaskell (1859)

The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1860)

Reality or Delusion? by Ellen Wood (1868)

At Chrighton Abbey by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1871)

No Living Voice by Thomas Street Millington (1872)

A Shadow in the Corner by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1879)

The Haunted Grange of Goresthorpe by Arthur Conan Doyle (1870s)

The Signal-Man by Charles Dickens (1866)

Was it an Illusion? by Amelia B. Edwards (1881)

The Open Door by Charlotte Riddell (1882)

The Body-Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson (1884)

Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book by M. R. James (1895)

Lost Hearts by M. R. James (1895)

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justalifelonglearner · 3 years

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20 Haunting Books

It’s spooky season so I’m recommending 20 books that may, or may not, terrify you.

I have linked to free editions where possible and links with an asterisk are affiliate links for UK Bookshop.org. You obviously don’t need to use those links.

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The Monk by Matthew Lewis (1796)

A gothic horror novel that revels in the darkest of taboos

It can still horrify readers over 200 years after it was first published

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Italian by Ann Radcliffe (1797)

A response to The Monk

Dark, sombre, and sinister

Public Library UK / Oxford World's Classics*

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

Gothic horror with a scientific twist

A story about scientific experimentation, humanity, and monstrosity

Read the 1818 edition!

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Vampyre by John Polidori (1819)

A thinly veiled reference to Lord Byron and his tendency to drain the life out of the people that were enamoured with him

Short but creepy

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)

Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy I’ve come home, I'm so cold Let me in-a-your window...

A book about awful people doing awful things to each other

Set in the bleak Yorkshire moors (oh, Yorkshire, my beloved)

Project Gutenberg / Penguin English Library*

The Lifted Veil by George Eliot (1859)

Eliot tapped into the emerging tradition of Victorian horror

Very different to her other works

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskell (1861)

A spooky Gothic tale

This would also be perfect as a traditional Christmas Eve read

Public Library UK / Penguin Classics*

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

What could be scarier than the potential evil that lurks in yourself?

A mixture of genres

Project Gutenberg / Penguin Classics*

Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

The most famous vampire book ever written (maybe?)

I always want to make chicken paprikash after reading this book

Project Gutenberg / Penguin Classics*

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)

This book never loses its edge

Psychological horror

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M. R. James (1901)

I really like M. R. James' short ghost story collections

A twist on classic Gothic tropes

Project Gutenberg / Oxford World's Classics*

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson (1949)

Suburban horror

Some of these stories still haunt me

Penguin Modern Classics*

I am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954)

Post-apocalyptic horror

A very tense story with a great ending

Orion Publishing Co.*

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975)

Terrifying

Hodder Paperbacks*

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter (1979)

Uses traditional stories - fairytales and folklore - and transforms the horror that was always in them into something more potent for a modern audience

Focuses heavily on gender issues

Vintage Publishing*

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (1984)

One of the best contemporary Gothic novels I've ever read

A Victorian-style ghost story

Vintage Publishing*

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (1994)

A little different to the other books on this list

Haunting and sad

Vintage Publishing*

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (2018)

Historical fiction