Four Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto; Vathek; The Monk; Frankenstein (World’s Classics)
Each of these four Gothic stories reveals a psychological tale of isolation and monomania. H. Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’ is filled with terror and ghostly interventions. William Beckford’s ‘Vathek’ alternates grotesque comedy with scenes of exotic magnificence. ‘The Monk’, by Matthew Lewis and M. Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ are also included.
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A good selection,
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C18th Gothic novels are always worth a read for anyone interested in the macabre, the fantastic, or the downright gruesome, and this selection makes excellent reading. Having said that, if you’re looking for a good critical edition this isn’t the book for you – the critical apparatus is pretty minimal. There are better editions of Frankenstein out there, of course, but even if you already have one, this is worth it for the other three novels it contains.
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|From the Sublime to the Ridiculous,
The four stories contained in this volume are essential reading for students of ‘The Gothic’ and for anyone who wants a broad overview of archetypal Gothic texts from the genre’s early days (Vathek) to it’s zenith with the classic ‘Frankenstein’.
The book is naturally weighty – Matthew Lewis’ ‘The Monk’ takes up nearly half of it – and needs perservering with; Mary Shelley’s seminal tale of man playing God is probably the most accessible, while ‘The Castle of Otranto’ seemed to me to be the hardest work.
Great price; the stories are each available separately on here for as much as this omnibus.
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|An introduction to gothic literature,
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This book is an excellent collection of the beginnigs of gothic literature, and it’s good value! I was thrilled at finding this four-in-one book while originally searching for The Monk – as our reading circle is going through the very beginnings of gothic literature and this one had all the four basic novels. For a reader of modern literature, these novels present a different world, with “old-school” language and plenty of emotions, combined with the presence of ghosts, monsters and whichcraft.
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