The Dark Side of Christmas: Gothic Elements in Charles Dickens' works

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  • Опубліковано 25 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 9

  • @nomorenames5568
    @nomorenames5568 4 дні тому +3

    Oh wow, what an interesting channel you have. I'm glad UA-cam recommended it. Since you're always looking for recommendations on Gothic Authors I feel obligated to mention a few of my favorite independent publishers which specialize in translating previously untranslated works from around that period, many of which are Gothic (or Decadent, Symbolist, or Romantic). I will add a few of my favorite books from each publisher but honestly their entire catalogues are amazing and entirely devoted to hidden gems.
    Wakefield Press - The Book of Monelle, Samalio Pardulus (this is the most Gothic one I mention from this publisher), The Conductor and Other Tales, The Cathedral of Mist.
    Snuggly Books - collections of Jean Lorrain and Jane de la Vaudre or really anything translated by Brian Stableford (both of these are), he has many collections he translated that are published by Snuggly Books and the next publisher. Honestly I would look into Brian Stableford because he is one of the best living translators of these kinds of work in my opinion.
    Dedalus Books - this publisher has many short story collections which focus on Decadent and Gothic tales like "The Dedalus Book of Decadence: Moral Ruins" and others that focus on specific countries like "The Dedalus Book of English Decadence: Vile Emperors and Elegant Degenerates". They also have my favorite translations of Gustav Meyrink's works like The Golem, of course, but also his much lesser known works like "Angel of the West Window" which is probably the most difficult book I've ever completed but it was worth reading every page. It's about a man who begins to, while living, have his ancestor, the one and only John Dee, reincarnate inside of him. It's a deeply Christian Occult and Gothic work set among the streets of Prague like most of his books.
    this is just a small selection each publisher has countless amazing works to check out, almost all written between 1850 - 1920.

    • @The_Gothic_Bookshelf
      @The_Gothic_Bookshelf  3 дні тому +1

      Thank you for sharing! I will look into these soon! Especially your mentioning of Gustav Meyrink's works sounds very interesting to me! 😊

    • @nomorenames5568
      @nomorenames5568 3 дні тому

      @@The_Gothic_Bookshelf Oh yea, Gustav Meyrink is one of the most fascinating authors I've ever read, and I've read a lot in the same vein as him. Honestly the only reason I was able to understand a lick of the symbolism in "Angel of the West Window" is because I had just randomly finished reading "Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age" by Frances Yates which is an exhaustive overview of Christian Occultism that focuses especially on the 16th century and finishes with John Dee who was sort of the ultimate culmination of it all. Meyrink casually references countless obscure ideas rooted in this strange theology, he probably knew almost as much as Frances Yates did on the subject and he was around 50 years earlier than her. I got really lucky finding and reading it before Angel of the West Window, they're almost perfect companion pieces. How's that for a little comparative literature action?

  • @alexfarkas3881
    @alexfarkas3881 3 дні тому +2

    Damn, I never would have considered Dickens a Gothic author but you're making perfect sense. I'm glad you popped up in my recommendations, this video is great ☺️ I have a lot of interesting thoughts to mull over now. Thank you!
    edited to add: Miss Havisham is, I think, an example of turning the goth button up to eleven and breaking the knob off, lol. She reads almost as a parody of Gothic fiction.

    • @The_Gothic_Bookshelf
      @The_Gothic_Bookshelf  3 дні тому

      Thank you, I am so glad you enjoy the video!
      If you're interested in Gothic parody or satire, I invite you to also watch my video on Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey: ua-cam.com/video/9vqlC0ot-3E/v-deo.htmlsi=r7ylC3ToHV4mHtoO

  • @BGibson-t7f
    @BGibson-t7f 3 дні тому +1

    Thank you so much for this video! I asked you a while back if you could do a breakdown of Dickens as a Gothic author and this is perfect 😊 this has definitely inspired me to read more of his works and view them through a gothic lens. I'm reading A Christmas Carol again now, and am going to read The Cricket on the Hearth next as per your recommendation for Christmastime reading. Then I'll have to pick up Bleak House! Merry Christmas Laura 🎄🎁

    • @The_Gothic_Bookshelf
      @The_Gothic_Bookshelf  3 дні тому +1

      I had this in mind since you mentioned it and thought Christmas was a suiting time to talk about Dickens eventually! Glad you like the video! I hope you enjoy reading more of Dickens and spend a merry Christmas too! 😊

  • @Saint.questions
    @Saint.questions 3 дні тому +2

    This is so great! Thanks for sharing.