It's Gothic Horror month here at The Midnight Society. There have already been some fabulous posts like Both Things I Know About Gothic Horror I Learned from Jane Austen Who Learned from Ann Radcliffe from Erica Davis and My Favorite Gothics from Jenna Lehne. Today I wanted to talk about Gothic literature and tell you a little more about it. There's so much I could say about this subject, as it includes most of my favorite stories and authors, but for the sake of not rambling, I tried to keep my wits about me. But first, let me share my Gothic lit[...]
Category
Gothic Horror
1 Hello Darlings, As you may have noticed, it's Gothic Horror month here at the Midnight Society. Up until recently, I had no idea what gothic horror actually was, or how many of my favorite movies and novels fell under it's genre umbrella (is that a thing?). In case you're wondering, study.com defines gothic horror as: The term Gothic fiction refers to a style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear, horror, death, and gloom, as well as romantic elements, such as nature, individuality, and very high emotion. These emotions can include fear a[...]
It's Gothic Horror month so I'm taking the duration of this post to consider both (BOTH) of things I know think about Gothic Horror: Ann Radcliffe is the mother-king of the Gothic Horror novel. Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a love letter to Ann Radcliffe. While Jane Austen's isn't exactly known for horror, she is my home girl. But I know little to nothing about Austen's home girl: Ann Radcliffe. So I did some digging. I spent the entire last quarter of an hour Googling Ann Radcliffe. And I am fascinated: Top 13 Things I Now Know[...]
I had great fun in recent weeks reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, a Gothic novel described by my friend as "miserable people treating each other miserably in a miserable setting." I loved it! First, there were moors for drowning. Also, when a ghost scratched at a window, the narrator accepted her appearance as plausible before he got the explanation! Finally, Heathcliff is so wicked, so so wicked that I love him and hate him in equal measures. This reading got me thinking that I've never appreciated Gothic fiction the way I should, so join me on a[...]
I love it when everything I think I know about writing horror gets turned on it's head. One, it helps me to grow as a writer. Secondly, it means I got bloody well scared during the process. Bloodborne, the newest game for the Playstation 4 from From Software, did both these things. Yet, on paper it shouldn't have. First it's gothic horror, which hasn't been scary in years (but it's the last refuge of solid atmosphere) and it's cosmic horror, which is probably the hardest subgenre to pull off. Don't get me wrong, I love them both, but that doesn't change the fact[...]
A MAGIC DARK & BRIGHT by Jenny Adams Perinovic I am so excited to be featuring this book on The Midnight Society today! I just know you're going to want to hear more about it. This is a YA Gothic Romance, with ghosts. Do I know how to pick 'em, or do I know how to pick 'em? And, it's brand new! Welcome to the world, A Magic Dark & Bright! Jenny Adams Perinovic has graced us with an excerpt and giveaway today. Here we go... Goodreads Order a Signed Paperback (US): One More Page Books Order the eBook:  Kindle (US) ·  Kindle (UK) ·  Nook ·Â[...]
I woke up this morning to rain and cold, and while making coffee and blearily looking onto the cross-street below from my kitchen, I noticed a hearse, a limo, six pallbearers, and a maple coffin being carried into the church across the street. I've lived in this apartment three years now, and this is the first time I've seen a proper funeral procession walk into that place. I realize this makes me a bit morbid, but with the weather as it is, all I'd really need to throw at this scenario to turn it into a plot bunny is Guns n' Roses playing "November Rain" in t[...]
A lot of people avoid the book, because a lot of people simply avoid books from the 1800s, and that's okay, but you're missing out on some great classic quotes here, and that just can't happen. Because I'm all about compromise, I'm posting some of the more famous, and some of my favorite, quotes from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It pays to remember when reading these that, as mentioned in the trivia on my first Frankenstein post, the monster talks in the book, unlike in the early films. Quotes from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein! “Life, although it[...]
It's Wednesday, which means more talk about that classic undead, Frankenstein's monster. A few weeks ago we got started with some trivia about the book where it all began, so this week I thought we'd look at the first time this story was put to film. But it wasn't where you might believe. Edison (yeah, Thomas Edison, the light bulb guy, he did other stuff, too!) Studios made a short film for the movie in 1910, but it was called sacrilegious (as this story often was) and disappeared into the night. It didn't pop back up again until the 1950s when a private collec[...]
It's Wednesday! Time for more Frankenstein! Whether you've read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or not, I'd like to believe that all this talk of the classic tale has put you in the mood for a retelling. And so today I present to you a YA gothic retelling of Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel, This Dark Endeavor. This Dark Endeavor (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #1) by Kenneth Oppel Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein and inseparable until Konrad falls gravely ill. In the forbidden Dark Library, Victor finds an ancient formula, and seeks a[...]