Member Blog Post

This first post in my series is inspired by Susie Lindau's interesting OS piece on Gothic novels, where she brings to our attention, among many things, that fateful stormy night by Lake Geneva that spawned Frankenstein's monster and the Byronic, vampiric Lord Ruthven. 

Now cut to Jane Austen.  I've never read Northanger Abbey (to my shame, I probably should do that instead of writing about trashy horror movies), but in this novel, "Seven Horrid Novels" (or the Northanger Novels) are mentioned, recommended by one heroine to another.  A few stray lines of criticism I've picked up suggest that Ms. Austen was commenting on the lurid Gothic fiction of the time.  In a dismissive manner?  I don't know.

But if Austen did intend to be dismissive?  Well bite me, Austen!  Yeah, I said it.  I will not apologize for wanting to experience the thrills promised by these titles: Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest, Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries.

I mean really? You're going to pass up something titled Necromancer of the Black Forest?  That's like not watching "The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf"! 

Incidentally, you probably shouldn't watch "The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf" unless you just can't pass up the sight of cinema great Sybil Danning camping it up and hissing in ludicrously slutty outfits.

Have you read the Seven Horrid Novels?  Northanger Abbey and Austen fans, why should Austen critique the Gothic novel? Is there snobbery at work? I need an English major to set me straight.  Is Isabella Thorpe a closet horror geek?