| Gothic Tales Revised Edition Contributor(s): Gaskell, Elizabeth (Author), Kranzler, Laura (Editor) |
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ISBN: 014043741X ISBN-13: 9780140437416 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $15.30 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 2001 Annotation: "The curse -- the curse!" I looked up in terror. In the great mirror opposite I saw myself, and right behind, another wicked, fearful self' An encounter with the supernatural in an everyday setting accentuates its strangeness; a truth used to eerie effect in Gaskell's Gothic tales. A portrait turned to the wall, a hidden manuscript, a mysterious child that lives on the freezing moors, a doppelganger formed by a woman's bitter curse: all of these things hint at male tyranny and woman as avenging angel -- or devil. Gaskell was fascinated by the dualities in women's lives and the way in which fact and fiction merge. 'Disappearances', a mix of gossip, legend and fact, relates stories of mysterious vanishings, 'Lois the Witch', a novella based on an account of the Salem witch hunts, shows how sexual desire and jealousy lead to communal hysteria and persecution, while 'The Grey Woman' explores a common Gothic theme, the way in which the ghosts of the past always return to haunt us. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Literary - Fiction | Horror - General - Fiction | Short Stories (single Author) |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 2001272783 |
| Series: Penguin Classics |
| Physical Information: 0.77" H x 5.06" W x 7.78" (0.62 lbs) 416 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Elizabeth Gaskell's chilling Gothic tales blend the real and the supernatural to eerie, compelling effect. 'Disappearances', inspired by local legends of mysterious vanishings, mixes gossip and fact; 'Lois the Witch', a novella based on an account of the Salem witch hunts, shows how sexual desire and jealousy lead to hysteria; while in 'The Old Nurse's Story' a mysterious child roams the freezing Northumberland moors. Whether darkly surreal, such as 'The Poor Clare', where an evil doppelg nger is formed by a woman's bitter curse, or mischievous like 'Curious, if True', a playful reworking of fairy tales, all the stories in this volume form a stark contrast to the social realism of Gaskell's novels, revealing a darker and more unsettling style of writing. |