Lots of things can be passed down through the family. Maybe you’ve inherited your grandmother’s eyes, your aunt’s madness, or the fatal curse that has plagued your family’s male line for generations. But what about inheriting an affinity for writing Gothic literature? As I research deeper and deeper into the genre, I’ve noticed a few family names that recur throughout different eras. Many of the authors that we love best today built on the legacy of their ancestors, or else passed their love of the genre down to their progeny. Here are a few examples of Gothic authors who kept their literary legacy in the family: Continue reading It’s in the Blood: Family Legacies in Gothic Authorship
Tag: charles maturin
Melmoth: Literary Fiction Meets the Gothic
It’s not often you hear that a classic Gothic novel (other than Frankenstein or Dracula) is getting freshly reimagined by a modern author. That’s why it immediately caught my eye when I saw that a novel called Melmoth just came out in October. Melmoth is the newest book by British writer Sarah Perry (author of The Essex Serpent). As the title suggests, Melmoth borrows heavily from Charles Maturin’s 1820 novel Melmoth the Wanderer, but Perry’s version is not a straightforward re-telling. Instead, stylistic and story elements of the classic Gothic work are woven into a new, original story to create a unique hybrid of genres. Continue reading Melmoth: Literary Fiction Meets the Gothic