Don't Read That, Read This! (Underrated Gothic Horror Books)
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- In this video, I recommend some underrated Gothic Horror books, basing my choices on better known Gothic classics.
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Twitter: / clarkekelsall
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About "Carmilla," I think it's also a not-so-subtle story depicting Victorian (Freudian?) fear of lesbianism.
it’s interesting to view it from a modern lens as a woman that’s attracted to women. I read it BECAUSE I think gay vampires are cool. Times have really changed lol
This literally always sat in the back of my mind but I like to ignore it and revel in the tension.
@@maya6562 have you seen the movie "The moth diaries"???
Just got done reading "Carmilla" because of this video. I really enjoyed it. Thank you for the recommendation.
Dear Josh,
Thank you for a lovely, interesting channel! I think it's a great outlet for of all of us who love Gothic and Gothic-inspired literary production, and I always look forward to your videos. Apart from being fun and edifying, your reviews are well balanced, and I like the fact that they're not all milk-and-honey. Pointing out whatever one believes hasn't worked particularly well within a book is relevant both from a critical and from a creative point of view (although I would say that you tend to be far too lenient with the U.S. 'industrialists', Anne Rice and Stephen King 😂). Anyway, here is my list of Gothic and Gothic-inspired works that merit a review:
1. "Varney The Vampire, or The Feast of Blood" by James Malcolm Rymer. This is an über-voluminous Penny Dreadful, a book of highly uneven quality, which nonetheless remains culturally relevant for predating the arch-vampire masterpiece by half a century. I also get the impression that it's been unfairly under-researched... I am strangely fond of it in spite of its flaws, though, and it is safe to say that the first chapter is, at the very least, memorable, which is why it has been anthologized to a certain extent. If your PhD relates to vampires in Gothic literature, this one is a must-read.
2. "Uncle Silas" , by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. An eerie, gloomy 'imprisoned heiress' narrative that does not get as much attention as it should. An overlooked gem à la Brontë sisters.
3. "The Boats of the 'Glen Carrig'" , by William Hope Hodgson. This is one of Hodgson's 'maritime Gothic' novels, in which he manages to create a very Lovecraftian atmosphere. The narrator is kind of a male damsel in distress, genuinely terrified by the things that go bump out of the depths 🦕 "The Ghost Pirates" would work just as well as an alternative. Recommended for genre lovers able to distance themselves from having their threshold of expectations jaded by "The Pirates of The Caribbean" franchise.
4. "The House on The Borderland" , by William Hope Hodgson. This one is a genre hybrid, which makes it surprisingly modern. It starts off in a Gothic manner, but then gets delightfully unhinged, convention-wise. Definitely one of its kind.
5. "The Romance of The Forest", by the Grande Dame of Gothic fiction, Ann Radcliffe. This is my first Radcliffe, and I have read this only very recently, after having stumbled upon your channel, so thank you for inspiring me to finally delve into her world ⚜️ It is shorter and more coherent than " The Mysteries of Udolpho", and the heroine is somewhat less passive, even though there's (quite expectedly) a fair amount of fainting and shedding tears. I think it's worth a read and a review, not least because you've already covered "The Italian" and "Udolpho" on your channel. There's some decent poetry in it as well, which lends it an additional elegiac flavour.
6. "Lady Audley's Secret" , by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Not a Gothic novel per se, but a piece of Sensation Fiction, revolving around a female antagonist of the 'femme fatale' variety, which, if read as an antipode to the 'damsel in distress' trope, offers valuable insights into issues related to integrity, reinvention, and disintegration of Victorian female identity. I have noticed that some online reviews of this novel tend to be eye-rollingly dismissive, which is wholly undeserved in my opinion, as there is more to this novel than meets the eye, not least because the official unravelling of the secret alluded to in the title raises as many questions as it answers.
7. "David Copperfield" , by Charles Dickens. Again, not a piece of Gothic fiction a such, but a huge classic featuring a myriad of impressive characters, and one of the most memorable villains of English literature, the monstrous Uriah Heep 😈 It contains a number of chapters and scenes that read as mini Gothic narratives, with a more lasting power than your average G novel, of course. Maybe you could review it with an emphasis on this particular aspect? (Just a thought).
8. "Rebecca", by Daphne Du Maurier. " Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." - who could resist that hypnotic introductory sentence uttered by a nameless, self-marginalizing female narrator obsessed by an omnipresent ghost of a woman - or, rather, The Woman - that would keep haunting her seemingly fairytale-like wedded life? Less abrasive and tongue-in-cheek than Angela Carter, Du Maurier carries forth the Gothic torch that shines with a craftily rekindled flame. Worth analyzing from a queer perspective as well. If you would be willing to compare the novel with Hitchcock's 1940 movie, that would be welcome as well.
9. "The House of The Vampire" , by George Sylvester Viereck. An early 20th century Gothic gem of a novel treating psychological vampirism in a narrative redolent of "The Picture of Dorian Gray". I believe this one is in public domain, and it's relatively short, kind of a counterpart to " Carmilla".
10."The Master and Margarita", by Mikhail Bulgakov. A hallucinatingly enchanting 20th century Russian (or, rather, Soviet) masterpiece with Gothic overtones. Isn't it interesting that the genre seems to have fared best in the hands of the authors who have only occasionally availed themselves of its tropes?
Anyway, that's my list 😉 I could go on, but I'd say this is enough for now. Thank you again for a lovely channel, and please do not feel obliged to take any of these suggestions into consideration. I imagine you already follow a reading schedule of your own. If Anne Rice's "The Witching Hour" is a part of it (as suggested by your response to a different video), good luck with that 🍀 I read it last year and I found it extremely underwhelming 😋 She can do better, when she sets her mind to it... Well, enough of the rant! Keep up the good work - and, if at all possible, please, for the love of Heaven, don't throw anymore books on the floor...!!!! 😥 Moments like those are... well, Gothically disturbing 👻 Take care dear, many blessings 💖
Thank you for taking the time to give this response, I appreciate it (and the feedback) a lot and I'll definitely add some of these books to my reading list.
I read David Copperfield a couple of months before I started my channel, but I think it's overdue a re-read because I loved it and I'd like to talk about it at some point on the channel. Also I'll pick up "The Romance in the Forest" by Radcliffe soon because I want to get through all her books. I think she's fantastic.
I guess with my reviews I tend to focus on positive aspects of most books and if I really don't like a book I won't review it. But where there are negatives I always try and come up with an explanation of why the story has that negative element to it, which I think is a good exercise. As for being too lenient with Anne Rice I think I'm probably a little biased here just because her writing style clicks with me so I find it hard to dislike a lot of her work. That said, I hear the Vampire Chronicles start to dip in quality after the 5th book, so we'll see if I can remain positive as I go on with them!
Thanks again for your comment, I hope you enjoy future videos. :)
Thanks so much for recommending The Italian and Gothic Tales, amazing imagination from the authors - I wholeheartedly recommend them further on!
thank you very much for this video! I particularly enjoy the way you draw an analogy among novels with similar themes. Although at the time that was considered a blatant plagiarism, I do agree with you that some novels may have similar concepts, but their focus is drastically different! Say, a couple of years later, "Rosa Matilda" (Charlotte Dacre) even goes a lot farther than Monk Lewis in depicting sexual desires and corruption. Thanks for your insight on each recommended Gothic novel again!
Yo Josh thanks for creating this video. I am getting back into reading as a hobby and i didn’t know where to start since it’s been years since I remotely read anything. So now I know where to start off. I’m glad I discovered your channel thanks bro. 😎
I love the dedication you put in this video 😍👍🏼✨ definitely gonna subscribe
I’ve read a few of your recommendations and you’ve been on point with all of them. Thank you. I just finished “The Monk.” Another of your recommendations and once again you nailed it. Thanks for everything you’re featuring.
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the books! (And my videos! :) )
I love the Monk. It could've stood for a rewrite because the reveal at the very last page could've been better if we knew about it throughout the novel. I still love it though.
Richard Marsh's 'the Beetle' came out the same year as 'Dracula' & was initially more popular but is now almost forgotten. Both novels are about evil 'men' from exotic locales who come to England and do awful things. 'The Beetle' really got under my skin.
Not heard of that one! I'll dig it out :)
I really enjoyed your video and absolutely loved your recommendations, thank you!
Lots of good books here, thanks for all the recommendations. I like how you set it up with the, "if you like this, then you should check out this," format--great!
Thanks, I'll definitely do more of these in the future :)
We have the same taste in books. I love your channel.
What other Gothic Horror novels (classics or modern) do you think need a little more attention?
Yeah I know what you mean about Jekyll and Hyde. I've not met many that have read it, but a lot have heard of it!
Just found you and subbed. Love gothic horror. Pretty much any kind of horror, esp ghost, haunted houses and creepy dolls ala rod serling's original twilight zone. What a brilliant man rod was. Plus all these years later, i still watch the tz's marathons enjoying being scared/horrified each and every year. I'm pretty sure i have most of the box sets too. His messages are timeless esp in today's world. Miss you mr serling😔😔😔👏👏👏🤗🤗🤗
This review is very well constructed. It is concise, but also, it would be the way I start back to reading gothic literature if I chose to do so. Some more recent film adaptations of the Island of Doctor Moreau and Dracula have been, to me, phenomenal. I'll try the shorter, more readable choices first. Thanks!
Thank you, I'm glad you found the video helpful :)
I'm loving your chanel. You should read some contemporary gothic literature from Latin America. I suggest to you Las Voladoras from Monica Ojeda. Enjoy!
Thanks very much, I'll give that a try sometime :)
I love your Recommendations! Carmilla is such a beautiful book. Subscribed 💗
Thanks, I'm glad you like the video :)
Yeah, aside from its racist undertones and boring characters. 👍🏻
Great breakdowns, good work. subbed.
Thank you, glad you liked them! :)
Please considering listing in the description the books you mention in your videos.
That's a good idea, I'll do that. :)
Yes please, i couldnt find charlotte decker at all? What was the book the floyer??????????????
@@sanghuisoh9235 zofloya charlotte dacre
So this is where Castelvania got Carmilla from.
Great list! Personally, I'd probably pair The Bloody Chamber with Karen Blixen's Seven Gothic Tales, which Carter has cited as a big inspiration for her retellings in that they're both collections of 'imitation 19th century stories' with Gothic vibes. There's definitely a kind of kinship between their writings. When I read The Bloody Chamber, I thought it felt like a less austere version of Blixen's stuff in many ways.
That sounds like an interesting book, I'll have to take a look!
I’m currently on the monk. Hadn’t heard of it but it’s readable and has thrills and spills galore.
Very interesting video, great contrats. Thank you!
because of this i read carmilla, has easily became one of my favorite books. i now want to read dracula since it’s inspired by carmilla. ❤
Dracula is a fantastic book too, one of my favourites. Hope you enjoy!
I love this channel!! 🙌🏻
Thanks very much! :)
Great reviews
I enjoyed this video.
Another good pair is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Lois Stevenson and The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells.
I've not read the Invisible Man, but have read Jekyll. I'll try your suggestion out, thanks!
what an interesting list!
Great content.
I can't work out what the book is you suggest alongside The Monk?
Same here
Sorry, speaking clearly isn't one of my best abilities in life :P It's called Zofloya, or the Moor, by Charlotte Dacre :)
@@JoshuaJClarkeKelsall listening isn't one of mine 🙈 thanks for replying, I'm going to check it out
@@rockchik631 Good stuff I hope you enjoy it!
As non-english native speaker I find it really hard to find underaated gothic novels. I'm thankful for this list :).
You're very welcome! :)
I'll certainly check out Carmella, but I really didn't have a hard time reading Dracula. Probably because the framing device is pretty much the same as H.P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu which I read first. Lovecraft admitted lifting that framing device from Dracula.
Carmilla is great, but glad you appreciate Dracula too. That opening chapter with Jonathan in castle Dracula is some of the best writing in the genre.
Hey, I'm starting on reading but I just wanted to read mysteries/suspense and folklore fiction from the 1930s or 20s but that aren't famous, like the idea of the video. Where should I look to find more amature and average writers from this era? I would love some kind of catalog magazine but I can't find them to buy.
I'm afraid my knowledge isn't that deep, but good luck with your search!
I did know about all but Bloody Chamber and Zofloya. I'm not sure how Dr Moreau qualifies as gothic, though.
what do you use for background music?
Just whatever suits from the UA-cam Audio Library haha!
Appreciate it
🖤🖤🌚🕷️🐞
My introduction to Ann Radcliffe was A Sicilian Romance, and it’s my least favorite read ever. So dull in my eyes.