Gothic Fiction Deep Dive
Once upon an evening I happened upon a book named Rebecca . So enchanted was I by the haunting secrets of an ancient mansion, intrigue hanging over it thick as fog, the feeling of something sinister lurking just around the corner, and above all the inevitable dreaminess of it all - that I knew I wanted more and more and more of the same. My path laid out before me clear as day: the first one I read after Rebecca was Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle . What a stunning, unreal experience of a book! It had all the elements of a classic gothic novel, including my favorite: the house a part of the ensemble star cast of characters, mystery slathered on all its walls like paint. Merricat and Constance were the most absurd and delightful narrators of this horror story in reverse. Donna Tartt rightly said about this book that it was a testimony of what can be accomplished in a novel. And s o emboldened by my experience, I read The Haunting of Hill House. The bar ...
