S1:E1 | What is English Gothic Literature?

Le Salon Literary Discussions

Diving right into Spooky Season by tracing the history of the English Gothic novel. In this first episode of the series, we discuss where the term “Gothic” came from and how it moved from architecture to literature in England in the late eighteenth century. We then trace the evolution of the English Gothic novel from 1764 up until the beginning of the 20th century by looking at the tropes that define the genre and, of course, a mention of Freud.

[3:45] “For historical context, English Gothic literature emerged at a time of political, economic, and social upheaval.”

[10:26] “Gothic [found] itself relegated to the popular and trashy realm of cheap, formulaic fiction.”

[15:00] “But what Freud also provided was a springboard of sorts for the Gothic to travel across the Atlantic.”

Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• Pamela by Samuel Richardson
• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson’s
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Edgar Huntly by Charles Brockden Brown

More resources for you:

• See what books are on the virtual literary salon schedule.
• Follow me on Instagram @lesalonreads.
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• Visit my website.