**Vault Reviews were posted previously on the main MonsterLibrarian website and are transferred here in an effort to preserve our history. Efforts have been made to ensure the books are still available, but formats, covers, and other details may have changed.**
Eureka Productions, 2007
ISBN:0978791908
Available: New
Gothic Classics is a collection of gothic tales both long and short. This genre usually features fainting heroines, brooding heroes, haunted castles, and mysterious supernatural horrors. “Carmilla”, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, is a tale of vampires predating Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” “The Mysteries of Udolpho”, by Ann Radcliffe, is a tale of romance and horror that was widely popular in its time and influenced writers as diverse as Edgar Allan Poe and Jane Austen. “Northanger Abbey” is Jane Austen’s parody of the gothic romance in general and “The Mysteries of Udolpho” in particular. There are a few short tales including “The Oval Portrait” by Edger Allan Poe, and “At the Gate” by Myla Jo Closser. These stories have the potential to appeal to a variety of different readers. More traditional horror enthusiasts will go for the vampire based tale of “Carmilla”, while fans of more a more blended version of romance and horror may be attracted to “The Mysteries of Udolpho”. The book would benefit from an introduction explaining the characteristics of gothic literature and the connections between the different stories (especially the inclusion of “Northanger Abbey”). Gothic Classics has the potential to be a good teaching tool for advanced English classes. However, the complexities and nuances of the stories would not necessarily make this title a good hook for reluctant readers. Recommended for libraries serving high school and college students exploring this literary genre. Contains: violence and murder.