Gothic, but without the white makeup (Gothic Tales - Elizabeth Gaskell)

Member Name: edinburgher

Product:	Gothic Tales - Elizabeth Gaskell
Date:	04/01/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Eerie, intelligent tales playing on human fears and intrigue

Disadvantages: Gaskell was born in the 1800s - style may not be to everyone's taste

I specialised in gothic literature as an undergraduate and Mary Gaskell was a shining light of the genre. While considerably better known for works including 'North and South' and 'Wives and Daughters', she excels with the mysterious and eerie. A well known face in literary circles, Gaskell was also chosen as the official biographer for Charlotte Bronte upon her death.

This collection of tales is very much in the vein of 'Udolpho' style stories, with secluded locales shrouded in mystery and dark secrets around every corner. That said, I have no wish to pidgeonhole Gaskell, who offers a good range of settings in the collection, ranging from the English moors to the tempestuous times of the Salem witch hunts.

Some of the themes explored are surprisingly frank, with jealousy, sexual desire and murder. At the same time, she enjoys herself with imaginative re-workings of some of the better known tropes of the gothic genre, including fairy stories and dopplegangers.

One for fans of Gaskell, ghost stories and the works of M. R. James and Henry James.

Summary: Strong collection of short stories in the gothic style