Tag: Charlotte Bronte

Bluebeard—A Proto-Gothic Folktale

The Gothic literary movement may not have begun until the mid-eighteenth century with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, but it draws on much older wells of literary tradition. I have already explored the proto-Gothic elements of several of Shakespeare’s plays, which inspired many of the themes and tropes of later Gothic works. Another strong source of inspiration for the Gothic was folklore and fairytales. In many cultures, such tales can be considered one of the earliest forms of horror literature, as they often depict monsters, dark magic, and gruesome consequences for poorly considered actions. But few are quite so dark as the famous French folktale “Bluebeard.”

Line drawing a of a man in an elaborate coat and turban with a very long, pointed beard
Bluebeard as illustrated by Harry Clarke for The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault, 1922.

As is generally the case with tales that were passed down orally, there is no way to know quite how old the Bluebeard story is, but it was first written down and published by French folklorist Charles Perrault in 1697. Its oral nature also means that there are many different versions and variations on the story, but the general outline goes like this: Once upon a time, a very wealthy widower was looking for a new wife, but the local women considered him ugly or frightening because of his strange blue beard. He approached a family with two daughters, and one eventually agreed to marry him after seeing his vast wealth. Shortly after the wedding, Bluebeard tells his new bride that he has to go away from the house for a while. He leaves her a ring of keys and invites her to use them to explore the whole house—with the exception of a locked closet at the end of a long gallery that the smallest key opens. Despite his dire warnings, the young wife eventually gives into temptation and opens the locked closet. Inside, she sees the bloodied bodies of multiple previous wives who, like her, disobeyed Bluebeard’s orders. When Bluebeard returns earlier than expected, the bloodstained key reveals the wife’s disobedience. Just as she is preparing to meet the same fate as her predecessors, the young woman is rescued by her brothers. You can read an 1828 version of the story here on WikiSource. Continue reading Bluebeard—A Proto-Gothic Folktale

Within These Wicked Walls Review

What if Mr. Rochester had, not a wife, but a deadly curse. Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood reimagines Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel within an Ethiopia-inspired fantasy setting. Last year I posted about the surprising number of Jane Eyre retellings that all came out in 2021. Obviously, I’ve got to go down the list and read them all! I’ve already posted reviews of The Wife in the Attic and John Eyre, so Within These Wicked Walls was up next. Continue reading Within These Wicked Walls Review

2021 Jane Eyre Retellings

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is one of literature’s best-known Gothic novels and certainly one of the most commonly read—and for good reason! Jane Eyre was at the forefront of a wave of a new variation on the genre that really gave the Gothic Romance a sense of the romantic. The interplay between Jane’s fierce independence and her blossoming passion for the brooding and Byronic Mr. Rochester is a love story as relatable today as it was in 1846. And I do mean today: 2021 seems to be the year for revisiting Jane Eyre. Of course, there have been reimaginings of Brontë’s story in years past—most famously Jean Rhys’s feminist and postcolonialist vindication of the “madwoman in the attic” with Wide Sargasso Sea in 1966. But something in the air seems to have everybody returning to this Gothic classic all at once right now. Below are a few Jane Eyre retellings that all came out within the last year: Continue reading 2021 Jane Eyre Retellings

Gothic Tropes: The First Wife

No one likes being the second choice. This holds especially true for newly married Gothic heroines. You may think you’re marrying the man of your dreams, but if he’s been married once before that’s almost always a sign of trouble. Whether the first wife is dead or simply hidden away, she often manages to cast a shadow over her husband’s new lover and interfere with their relationship. The haunting figure of the first wife is one of my favorite Gothic character tropes! Continue reading Gothic Tropes: The First Wife

Gothic Tropes: Burning Houses

In Gothic literature, the setting of the story functions almost like a character itself. These castles, estates, and manor houses are given names, along with their own history, personality, and secrets. And as with living characters, sometimes the novel needs to end with their death. In one common trope, house fires are employed as a means of destroying the central setting at the end of the novel, often with symbolic significance. Continue reading Gothic Tropes: Burning Houses

Five Foundational Female Writers of Gothic Lit

Women have been pivotal influencers of the gothic genre from the very beginning. At a time when women’s opinions were largely dismissed and many doors were barred to them in other literary pursuits, writing Gothic novels was one of the few ways in which women could become prolific and popular writers. One reason for this was that the original Gothic genre was closely associated with women, as women made up the majority of its readers. Gothic novels were often regarded much like “chick lit” is today—as sentimental fluff good for entertaining women’s simple minds but completely lacking in literary value. Despite being devalued by critics (and by the members of the general public not yet under the genre’s sway), the works of these female authors have had a profound influence on our perception of the gothic today. Let’s take a moment to celebrate some of these awesome queens of terror! Continue reading Five Foundational Female Writers of Gothic Lit