Zofloya and the Female Gothic

This is a series of ‘blogs’ (hmmm) which I wrote as a baby scholar during my Masters. I’ve been rereading it today as I finalise my lesson slides for tomorrow. It’s an investigation of the term Female Gothic and its legitimacy through an exploration of Charlotte Dacre’s Zofloya and the simple question of whether orContinue reading “Zofloya and the Female Gothic”

Radcliffe’s Heroes in Order of Uselessness

Ann Radcliffe, the ‘Great Enchantress’ of the early British Gothic, was one of the most famous and popular writers of her time. She’s the star Gothic reference in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey (1816) and a must-read for everyone who’s just starting their journey in the rise of the Gothic in the late 18th century. SheContinue reading “Radcliffe’s Heroes in Order of Uselessness”

Georgette Heyer and the Gothic

It’s Heyer week here at Romancing the Gothic! In book club, we’re reading The Quiet Gentleman (1951). On Saturday the class is ‘Rethinking the Gothic Romance: Georgette Heyer’. I’m aware that two quite disparate groups of people are interested in this week’s content and both groups might have their suspicions about exactly what Heyer andContinue reading “Georgette Heyer and the Gothic”

The Discerning Evil-Doer’s Guide to Gothic Villainy

Too many young villains today fall into error as soon as they begin their path, like an awkward child belly-flopping enthusiastically into a puddle. They believe that villainy is a simple case of evil-doing (ha!). A swift and effortless choice of wrong over right via the medium of a bullet or blade. A career pathContinue reading “The Discerning Evil-Doer’s Guide to Gothic Villainy”