#natureisgothic

[generallygothic]

"𝕴 𝖐𝖓𝖊𝖜 𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖍𝖎𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖔 𝖚𝖓𝖎𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖉 - 𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖉, 𝖚𝖓𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖉-𝖎𝖓 - 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖒 𝖔𝖋 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖈𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘, 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖆𝖑𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖓𝖔 𝖌𝖔𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐." - Susan Hill 🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯 The time has come, at last, for us to gather round and read together. Our next Spooky Nerds Book Club readalong will run mid-November to mid-December. 'The Woman in Black' is the tale that shall bridge the gap from one spooky season to the next. 🐎 It is time to prepare yourself. Climb into your carriage, cross the marsh, and go through the great door. Dust down the fainting couch, light the candelabra, and search the library shelves. ⚜ On Sunday the 13th of November, we shall begin. Schedule coming soon. 🐎 Won't you join us? . #spookynerdsbookclub #readalong #bookstagram #thewomaninblack #gothicnovel #natureisgothic #gothicliterature #gothic #generallygothic #bookclub #spookyreads #horror #darkacademia #Englishclass #Englishliterature https://www.instagram.com/p/CkrRpsnr9Nb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[grotesquerietoons]

#photography #nature #algae #rocks #plants #flowers #OctoberRust #natureisgoth #gothphotography #decadence #contrast #lifeanddeath #Baudelaire #Huysmans #Grotesquerie

[generallygothic]

"𝕬𝖑𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖎𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖓 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖓 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖍 𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖙𝖔 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖆 𝖛𝖔𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝖌𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖓𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖍𝖚𝖗𝖈𝖍, 𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖉𝖎𝖉 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖗 𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖞." -Shirley Jackson 🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯 I have been wanting to read Shirley Jackson's account of the Salem Witch Trials since I found out that it existed, 2 years ago. ⚖ It popped up on audio in time for an October listen, which I'll belatedly discuss now. My loose, personal aim is to explore how Nature is Gothic this month, which I understand is also #nonfictionnovember, so that's all rather fitting. ⚖ 'The Witchcraft of Salem Village' is a short listen. Indeed, the history of its witch trials is shorter than its legacy would suggest. Though I didn't learn an awful lot of new information, Jackson's retelling offered a vivid, human quality to historical accounts. ⚖ Events spiralled wildly in the village and the courtroom. Reason was abandoned on the whim of children. Unsubstantiated accusations rippled through society with alarming speed; justice drowned in a sea of speculation, unnoticed. It was not good will but prejudice that there reigned under the crown of puritanical Christianity. ⚖ Suffice to say, it is an unpleasant account of cruel acts of human unkindness. In popular culture, witches have been reclaimed and celebrated as feminist symbols. Though uncomfortable, Jackson's is important reading - she reminds us that these early "witches" were neither fantasy nor fiction, but real, human victims of a brutal reality. ⚖ Pictured is my new favourite Halloween decoration. Though spotted in a local nature reserve without historical connection, they feel fitting somehow: a memorial to the persecuted who died 'as' witches and are remembered only as witches... who are faceless victims of hatred and persecution. . #shirleyjackson #witches #witch #Salem #salemwitchtrials #Halloween #fall #autumn #autumnvibes #bookstagram #witchyreads #gothic #generallygothic #nonfiction #natureisgothic #spookynerds #darkhistory #darkacademia (at Old Salem Village) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWg7FvSAKmQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[generallygothic]

"𝕴𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖉 𝕬𝖇𝖞𝖘𝖘 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖒𝖇 𝖔𝖋 𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖘 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖛𝖊" - John Milton 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 This keeps happening... the month's end is in sight and the scratch that I have left on the surface is imperceptible! Throughout November, slowly and quietly I have been exploring the ways in which 🦇Nature is Gothic🦇. Though the majority of the discoveries and discussions I wished to share with you must remain until next time, I cannot move on without mentioning Milton first. 🍎 First published in 1667, 'Paradise Lost' takes the fall of man as its subject. Various themes of nature are ripe for the picking in the Garden of Eden - in Milton, the Bible, and wider lore. In the poem specifically, Satan, Adam, God and his Son are all at odds, representing the multiplicitous nature of [hu]man and evil of all! [It's a little more nuanced than that, but my wordcount limit is a little tighter than Milton's was.] 🍎 Formed from the language of cathedrals and churches, religion echoes throughout the early gothic. Though not strictly big 'G' Gothic itself, many of the markers are there. Milton's epic is also one of the four formative texts that Frankenstein's creature reads in Shelley's magnum opus... 🍎 I imagine that the story of Original Sin will be familiar to many of you, whether you've made Milton's acquaintance or not. As a species, we have been attempting to unravel ourselves right from the start - to decipher the good and the bad that exists at our core. If you're interested in theological-flavoured existential exploration influenced by Greek mythology and influencing the Gothic, Milton is your man! . #natureisgothic #paradiselost #johnmilton #bookstagram #englishliterature #classics2020 #classicliterature #spookynerd #bookworm #books #bookreview #darkacademia #academic #litnerd #epic #poetry #gothic #literary #classics https://www.instagram.com/p/CIJs-PHgHsI/?igshid=v52yvjml4w9p

[generallygothic]

"𝕸𝖞 '𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖎𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖊' 𝖙𝖔𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖘 𝖌𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖎𝖘 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖆𝖉𝖒𝖎𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖎𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖙𝖔𝖑𝖉." - May Sinclair 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 Mine too, May, mine too. 👻 Today, the weather has been howling, pouring, and generally kicking up a fuss. I have been tucked up with 'In the Night Wood' - a fairy tale, an ode to literature, and a tragedy of loss articulated through magical realism, the gothic, fantasy and, I hope, folk horror too... I'll save further comment until I'm done. 👻 It has been a perfectly Novemeber-y day; Halloween lingers in the air, the spooky season is in full swing and Christmas and winter seem suddenly close. 👻 I also aattended a fascinating lecture on Victorian and Edwardian female authors of ghost stories. The Christmas tradition of spectral storytelling of course came up, as did one fine British gentleman - a staunch supporter of his female contemporaries. I imagine Sinclair would consider his own tales well told too... 👻 Today's image serves as a conceptual depiction of November, existing between the Tradition of Terror and Decadence and Decay. It is also a sneaky little #thespookynerdsbookclub spoiler for the upcoming readalong, which @rabbitheartedreader, @engaginglit, & I are getting increasingly excited about cohosting next month! Details coming soon... 👻 🤔: Are you breaking the "rules" and embracing Christmas/seasonal/holiday traditions early this year? If so, I salute you in your festive rebellion! 🤔: Does the fact that 'attitude' is quoted in inverted commas lead anyone else to assume Sinclair is being consciously attitude-y (and love her for it)? . #natureisgothic #folkhorror #contemporarygothic #dalebailey #inthenightwood #bookstagram #englishliterature #victorianliterature #edwardianliterature #christmas #halloween #spookynerds #bookblogger #bookclub #readalong #teaser #spoiler #ghoststories #femaleauthors #charlesdickens #achristmascarol #classicliterature #decemberreads #maysinclair https://www.instagram.com/p/CHlf6fsgb3W/?igshid=1f8ums1we5rm8

[generallygothic]

"'𝕱𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖐𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖎𝖓' [...] 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖛𝖔𝖞𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝖓𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖓 𝖆 𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖆𝖈𝖆𝖑 𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖒𝖕𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖆𝖒𝖊 𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊." - Andrew Smith & William Hughes 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 Though I get the sense that the ecoGothic is familiar territory for many of you, I am on a journey into the unknown. I was, thus, pleasantly surprised to learn that many familiar faces exist within this gothic space. 'Dracula', as I explored last week, is rooted in the evils of nature. As it so happens, the "other" great monster narrative of pop culture can be classified as ecoGothic too. The presence of nature in 'Frankenstein' is overwhelming: the nature of humanity is dismantled & brought under scrutiny; the furthest reaches of the geographical world are spread across its pages. Establishing nature as a theme of these two classics is a start, but to grasp how that translates into the ecoGothic, we must turn to the scholars! 📜 Smith & Hughes describe the ecoGothic as 'disjunction' - a conflict between natural magnificence imagined & horror realised; the duality in the beauty & brutality of nature. They make an example of the moment that Victor looks upon the creature as exemplifying the effect of this contrast: "Beautiful! – Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes..." In their own words: "The creature’s function is to challenge what is meant by nature and to erode Victor’s sense that nature represents a transcendent category of experience." 🤔: With me so far? 🕷 I am particularly interested to look at the intersections with science fiction & the dystopian, two genres in which I often see the gothic... and, it seems, I am not alone! . #ecogothic #ecohorror #natureisgothic #gothicfiction #gothicliterature #frankenstein #dracula #maryshelley #bramstoker #bookstagram #darkacademia #spookynerd #englishclass #comparativelit #englishlit #classicliterature #litnerd #literarytheory #booknerd #bookworm #gothic #generallygothic #classics https://www.instagram.com/p/CHYiOMrghTk/?igshid=1suf7tfd7k1ii

[generallygothic]

"𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖇𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉. 𝕳𝖊 𝖘𝖔 𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖉𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖓 𝖒𝖞 𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖉 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊'𝖘 𝖊𝖈𝖈𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖇𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖒𝖞 𝖎𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖉." - Bram Stoker 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 Happy Guy Fawkes Night one and all!🧨 To celebrate, I took Dracula (book not beast) on the London-Exeter train - a train whose timetable Mina, a woman no less, is proud to know by heart [pause for gasps to subside]. Stoker's novel is a funny one on representations of gender. Of course it's problematic by contemporary standards, but Mina *is* contextually powerful - she types and thinks and knows train times. And although her romantically liberated counter-part is vilified for her verbal lust [pause for continued gasps], so too is Dracula. It's more nuanced than merely gender or "goodness" - it's an exploration of the brutality and sexuality innate in the natural world. And like, its subject, its messy and artful, horrifying, truthful and misrepresentative all in one. 🦇 One of the most shocking things I discovered during the #stokersstakeout readalong (which @gothicbookworm & I cohosted) was how absent Dracula is... And yet his presence pervades every scene, every action, every character arc. He is a part of the very nature of the narrative world and a creature, most beastly, of the natural world too. 🦇 I would like to thank all who joined the readalong for, well, reading along! The conversation has been delightful and insightful; I hope to read alongside you all again. ✒ The cover may look familiar - it's not it, but it's close - to those of you've seen or partaken in the 'writealong'. Infinite thanks to all who joined - I am in awe of your talent and look forward to hosting many more to come! Be sure to check out the highlight. . #natureisgothic #dracula #bramstoker #exeter #church #graveyard #bookstagram #bookclub #writeclub #readalong #gothic #gothicliterature #creativewriting #5thofnovember #guyfawkes https://www.instagram.com/p/CHONqc5Atp3/?igshid=zsirpn8ayspn

[generallygothic]

𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝕲𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖈 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 Good evening, folks, and welcome to November. Darkness has enveloped us early, in this part of the world. The wind is whilsting its way in through the gaps as the rain bangs loudly at the windows and doors. This ferocious autumnal storm is the perfect backdrop against which to introduce the month's new theme. Throughout November, I will be exploring the ways in which nature itself is gothic. Eco and folk gothic, real world settings and fictional space will be investigated through literature, history, and film. If you have any suggestions, would like to write a guest blog post, or have creations you'd like to see featured here, please get in touch! For both now, batten down the hatches, there's a storm a-blowing out there! . #november #natureisgothic #ecogothic #ecohorror #folkgothic #folkhorror #botanicalgothic #botanicalhorror #spookynerd #bookstagram #bookworm #bookish #gothic #generallygothic #callforsubmissons #bookblogger #blogger #litnerd #academic #darkacademia #autumn #nature https://www.instagram.com/p/CHDv2jnAlTL/?igshid=1u9e1e0cdcw5j

[generallygothic]

"𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝕴 𝖘𝖆𝖙, 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝕴 𝖒𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖘𝖈𝖆𝖕𝖊 𝖗𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖒𝖊 𝖆𝖈𝖈𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖑𝖞." - Henry David Thoreau 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ Yesterday, I said I claimed to post all the books mentioned in discussions of Nathanielhl Hawthorne's 'Rappaccini's Daughter'... But I forgot Thoreau! (I told you I wasn't as familiar with the Transcendentalists as I should be, @skull.theatre 🙈!) Nature is a key part of the Transcendental movement, and there is undoubtedly something gothic to be found within their works. Hawthorne did, after all, live with the Transcendentalists at Brook Farm in 1841, just three years before authoring the short gothic romance. I just admit though, that page after page of number crunching in the first section of Thoreau's 'Walden' (1854) - dryly entitled 'Economy' - caused me to put this text down years ago... And never pick it up again. 🤔: Have any of your persevered? Is it worth it, and is there any chance I could just skip 'Economy' and still follow the remainder of the book? 🔗: Catch up with my piece on 'Rappaccini's Daughter' entitled 'Into that Eden of Poisonous Flowers' - link in bio! 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ That wraps up November's 🦇Nature is Gothic🦇 theme - check back tomorrow for December's theme reveal, and an exciting jointly hosted readalong! . #generallygothic #gothic #transcendentalism #transcendentalist #thoreau #henrydavidthoreau #bookstagram #book #bookquote #books #gothicliterature #philosophy #walden #waldenpond #resistancetocivilgovernment #politics #nature #natureisgothic #hawthorne #nathanielhawthorne #blogger https://www.instagram.com/p/B5fcml7AC_X/?igshid=n8e2flqq0iut

[generallygothic]

"𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖓 𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖈 𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗 𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖞." - Nathaniel Hawthorne 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ One of my favourite things about literature is how it breeds... Pictured are all the texts (with a notebook repurposed from a book of Bible stories standing in for 'The Good Book' itself because I don't actually own a copy ⛪🔥) that came up, both in discussion and in mind, during the #generallygothicbookclub readalong of 'Rappaccini's Daughter'. Once again, I want to thank you for your patience throughout my slow, transatlantic contributions to the debates. I am delighted to announce that my full response to the story is up at generallygothic.com now... Just before the month exploring how 🦇Nature is Gothic🦇 ends! 🔗: Link in bio. I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts on reading, over here or over there. . #newblogpost #rappaccinisdaughter #nathanielhawthorne #books #blogger #blogpost #bookclub #generallygothic #gothic #natureisgothic #nature #religion #thebible #dante #dantesinferno #thedivinecomedy https://www.instagram.com/p/B5d_V5_A3p9/?igshid=wtimq1c3mnte

[generallygothic]

All month long I've watched @gothicbookworm's #lovecraftedreadalong unravel thinking "I bet there are some #natureisgothic * themes explored in Lovecraft's work!" But I wouldn't know because I've NEVER READ ANY 🙀😱🤮. Well, I'm back at the homestead for the festive season, surrounded by my books, including this delightful collection with a fresh new spine, ready for breaking (👉swipe)! 📜: I have absolutely not forgotten my own readalong and am working on the blog post - my jetlagged brain's just currently better suited to reading than to writing! In the meantime, I'm excessively excited to discover whether your November readalong and my November theme will intertwine in a delightful display of tentacles and terror, @gothicbookworm! *Because of course I think in hashtags; don't we all?! . #generallygothic #gothic #strangefiction #weirdfiction #bookstagram #readalong #hplovecraft #natureisgothic #gothicliterature #gothicfiction #cthulu #lovecraft #nature #thewhispererindarkness #shortstory #shortstories #books #bookworm #spookynerd #november #fall #autumn #autumncolours https://www.instagram.com/p/B5WNQuAgKYV/?igshid=3dfvpesj5s0k

[generallygothic]

"[𝕬]𝖑𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖞 𝖉𝖎𝖉 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝖆 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖗 𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖈𝖊." - Nathaniel Hawthorne 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ 📖: 'RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER' READALONG Hello #generallygothicbookclub*! I promised a post on Monday to get a discussion on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story started, but if you saw my own short [IG] stories you'll see that thanks to my excellent planning, I arranged this post over a 24 hour period of continuous travel across the globe! 👉: Swipe to see my less than ideal, travel-sized note taking spot for the upcoming blog post, which I will aim to get out 🤞tomorrow🤞 (?) instead! In the meantime, I'd love to hear your general thoughts on the text... 🧠: Here are a few things to consider, to get the cogs turning:- 🤔: Did you enjoy the text; how did it differ from your expectations? 🤔: How does it compare to any other Hawthorne texts you've read? 🤔: How, in your opinion, does it fit into this month's 🦇Nature is Gothic🦇 theme? 🎞️: I've set up a Readalong highlight because #imtotallyprofessional, but mostly so you can keep up to date with my sporadic posting habits! 🏷️: I'll tag those that expressed an interest in reading along, but no pressure! *The book club is open to you all, so whether you're tagged or not, if you want to share your thoughts, please do! . #generallygothic #generallygothicbookclub #gothic #gothicliterature #gothicgarden #nature #natureisgothic #botanicalgothic #ecogothic #bookstagram #studyspace #nathanielhawthorne #shortstory #rappaccinisdaughter #readalong #quote #spookynerd #academic #literarytheory #literaryanalysis https://www.instagram.com/p/B5TH7mhAiYb/?igshid=10ra7ymfr44y6

[generallygothic]

"[𝖂]𝖍𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖉 𝖌𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖘, 𝖔𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘 𝖉𝖎𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝖘𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖋𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖕𝖘 𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖆𝖘𝖈𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌..." - Ann Radcliffe 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ Published in 1794, Ann Radcliffe's (1764-1823) most famous novel, 'The Mysteries of Udolpho', is heralded as a classic of the gothic genre. Her protagonist, Emily, is bonded closely to her father through their shared love of nature, but on his death her wild adventures become filled with terror... 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ Recently, I posted about a horror film called 'The Wind' (2018), which similarly explores nature within the gothic. In that film the protagonist, Lizzy, reads 'The Mysteries of Udolpho', and I became interested in the role of literature within the horror of her own narrative. 🏷️: Some of you (thank you) expressed an interest in a full-length review of the film (hence the tags!). I have kept it largely spoiler free so the film will remain a surprise for you. 🔗: Read 'Flickering in the Middle of Nowhere: "The Wind"' at generallygothic.com - link in bio - now! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🖤. . #natureisgothic #nature #thewind #filmreview #film #folkhorror #horrorfilm #horrormovie #emmatammi #femaledirector #femalelead #themysteriesofudolpho #annradcliffe #femaleauthors #femalegothic #generallygothic #gothic #ecogothic #bookstagram #bookworm #bookish #englishliterature #spookynerd #blogger #blogpost #gothicnovel #gothicliterature https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GzOC8ABZG/?igshid=1eoznkqh3kg1x

[generallygothic]

"𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖑𝖊𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖒 𝖇𝖊 𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖗𝖞, 𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖛𝖊𝖘𝖙-𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖌." - Thomas Tusser 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ Written in 1973, Thomas Tryon's 'Harvest Home' is described as "superb thriller," "an unhinging experience," and "superbly haunting" (is 'superb' looking like a funny word to anyone else now too?). I've only glanced over the first chapter as I attempt to fly through the remainder of my current read (which is no easy task with a McCarthy 🤯), but I think [read: hope] I am in for an autumnal, folk horror delight. The plot focuses on a couple's move away from the city, with their daughter, to a tiny village untouched by time. I believe it's set in New England, USA, and that religion may play a role in the horror... But that's just conjecture from flipping through the pages. It's "Now a Universal TV Spectacular," starring Bette Davis, but seeing as 'now' is 40 years ago, I hope I can still find it to watch when I'm done! 🤔: Have any of you read this, or seen the TV adaptation? I'm in the mood for folk horror - any other recommendations? 📔: This is absolutely not the cover I selected from the online list of 2nd hand copies... Whilst my actual selection was far more attractive, I love the taped up spine and (👉swipe) stamps of this one's history. Don't judge a book by its cover, right? . #harvesthome #bookcover #books #bookstagram #spookynerd #1970s #americanliterature #harvest #fall #autumn #newengland #folkhorror #cornwall #natureisgothic #generallygothic #gothic #exlibrarybooks #secondhandbooks #prelovedbooks #bettedavis #cormacmcarthy #currentlyreading #toberead #tbr https://www.instagram.com/p/B5EGqc0g5tt/?igshid=1n6rqlijiw1ez

[generallygothic]

"𝕲𝖎𝖔𝖛𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖎 𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 𝖓𝖔 𝖇𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖈𝖈𝖚𝖕𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖓 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖇𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖜𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖜." - Nathaniel Hawthorne 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ 📖The Readalong📖 This week, I will be reading the short story, RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and you are invited to read with me. Born in Salem, Massachusetts with direct connections to the historic American witch trials, Hawthorne is famously the author of 'The Scarlett Letter' (1850), but his gothic novel, 'The House with the Seven Gables' (1851), is what I adore him for (🎞️ see stories for more). For this readalong I have picked something short (though less so than last week), available to read free online, and that I've never read before either, so we can experience it together! I plan to share a post on Friday to serve as a discussion space & will try to write a blog post too, but please ✒️give me feedback🗳️ - what do you want more or less of this time around? I will be reading with my 🦇Nature is Gothic🦇 theme in mind, but I loved seeing all of your different opinions, theories, approaches, & responses naturally occur 🤓! Having read just a short, spoiler-free blurb of the story this image captures my first impressions... 🤔: If you fancy it, you could share your first impression before reading and another showing how that image changed, or didn't, on finishing the story. If you want to share your own posts, please tag @generallygothic & #generallygothicbookclub so I don't miss anything. 🏷️: If you expressed an interest, I've tagged you, but no pressure at all. Similarly, if you haven't expressed interest but want to readalong, just get involved! . #rappaccinisdaughter #natureisgothic #nature #garden #autumngarden #fall #nathanielhawthorne #hawthorne #ecogothic #botanicalgothic #rosegarden #generallygothic #generallygothicbookclub #bookstagram #readalong #shortstory #gothicliterature #gothicnovel #americanliterature #americangothic #salem #salemwitchtrials #salemmassachusetts #bookish #books https://www.instagram.com/p/B5BKlFCgk9K/?igshid=idpilufnu713

[generallygothic]

"𝖂𝖊 𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖊𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖔𝖔𝖒𝖘 𝖀𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖕𝖘" - Emily Dickinson 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ I've posted about Emily Dickinson before, just days ago in fact, so I won't introduce her again (I'll link past posts in stories if you fancy a refresher though). Instead, I will introduce you to her gardens. There was an orchard, a flower garden, a kitchen garden, a conservatory for exotic plants. They, and the multitudinous creatures within them, feature over and over again in Dickinson's poetry. They were her companions, her inspiration, her church. As she grew secluded from society, her gardens become her entire world. But over the years, nature and subsequent owners changed the landscape and we lost access to her physical, natural world. "𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖑𝖆𝖞𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖋𝖋, 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊, 𝕬𝖓 𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖈𝖔𝖆𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖞." That is, until 2016, when the local University of Massachusetts-Amherst began an excavation of the Dickinson Homestead to discover the locations of flower beds, a barn, the orchard, and a well. Archeaobotanical material recovered from within the earth is allowing us to connect with Dickinson through her garden, over a century after her death... ...And bring it back to life. If these are zombies, they're okay with me. 🌱🧟‍♀️🥀 👉: Scroll through a few pages of Dickinson's collection of plant life, pressed and preserved by her own hand. 📑 Quotes: '10: I died for beauty, but was scarce', and '31: Death is a dialogue between' from 'Time and Eternity' by Emily Dickinson. 📸: Emily Dickinson's Herbarium, circa 1839-1846, via Harvard Library online. . #emilydickinson #emilydickinsonsgarden #garden #poet #poetry #herbarium #americanpoet #amherst #massachusetts #newengland #harvard #bookstagram #nature #natureisgothic #universityofmassachusetts #archeaobotany #botany #history #zombies #gothic #generallygothic https://www.instagram.com/p/B46AX9tAF-k/?igshid=amm2c67cj2ue