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saintmaud's review against another edition
slow-paced
interesting.... not what I expected I was going to get into, there wasn't much of a gothic atmosphere nor did it make the aristocratic setting very convincing. The class war background was intriguing but ultimately wasn't explored further, mostly everything just felt underdeveloped to make space for a very french character study of nicholas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Classism, Death, Child death, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, and Xenophobia
nmcannon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Earlier this year, it finally twigged that I like the Gothic genre. I decided to learn more, and this decision led me to Professor Lori A. Paige’s lecture on “Romancing the Gothic - 300 Years of Gothic Romance” on Youtube. Her fascinating lecture gave me a ton of classic Gothic recs, including the first gay Gothic romance, Gaywyck by Vincent Virga. Unfortunately, my library doesn’t have a copy, but they did have Dragonwyck on audiobook. I figured I might as well read what Gaywyck spoofs, and now I’m 16 hours older with an Experience.
Like so many women before her, Miranda dreams of more than this provincial life on her family farm. It’s work, work, work from sunrise to sunset, and a steady diet of strict Protestant moralizing in between. Miranda’s favorite time of day is when she takes her baby sister out to the fields to play, because she can bring her latest romance novel along. This routine is interrupted by a letter from a second cousin. Hailing from a much wealthier branch of the family, Lord Nicholas Van Ryn wants a governess for his daughter. Miranda leaps at the chance and from the get-go is captivated by Van Ryn's Dragonwyck estate. The land's beauty and noble occupants are just like her novels. Little does she know that, also like in those novels, a dark undercurrent waits to pull her down.
Dragonwyck is more a Gothic historical fiction than a pure Gothic pulp. Lucky me, I like both! I liked learning about 1840s Hudson River Valley and the end of the medieval-esque poltroon system. Quite a few reviews compare Dragonwyck to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, but to me that’s like comparing peaches to plums. Seton’s story eschews the murky fairy tale non-place of typical Gothic stories in favor of fully occupying its historical setting. Various famous historical figures say hello, including Edgar Allen Poe, and the Van Ryns get inserted into the Astor Place Riot. To tick the boxes of the other genre, the socio-political systems which kept the Van Ryns in power decay and rot before Miranda’s eyes. Those who can neither let the past die nor meet the past’s demands for justice get their comeuppance.
Speaking of the past, reading Dragonwyck reminded me that I haven’t read twentieth century American literature in a hot minute. Seton took pains to put realistic 1840s racism in her book…on top of the period typical racism one might expect from a book written in the 1940s. Ouch. There is so much fatphobia in this book. Lady Van Ryn is a beautiful fat woman. Every time she’s on page, the narration comments on her weight in a derogatory manner. I hated it.
My other caveat is for misogyny. Both our Gothic anti-villain Nicholas and our regular hero Jeff dismiss Miranda’s feelings, opinions, and (occasionally) autonomy. Both insist they know better than she does about her own life. In one scene, Jeff praises the pastoral life he has zero experience with. Miranda tries to explain farming is difficult, endless drudgery, but he waves her off. He insists that the countryside is more morally pure and good for the health. Worse, the circumstances surrounding the book’s ending seem to punish and squash Miranda until she agrees with Jeff’s opinion. She comes to the incredibly Protestant American conclusion that having nice things is evil. The book’s ending tastes bitter in my mouth.
The book had its bright points. Seton uses frequently the word “gay” to mean “happy,” and each time I chuckled. In her adventures, Miranda meets Peggy, an Irish immigrant, and the sapphic vibes are Strong. The plot and pace are top-notch. The descriptions were lovely, when they weren’t being insulting. If you squint, you can see the beginnings of socialist thought—oh, to live in a world where everyone gets moderately nice things. Though I have a few reservations, Dragonwyck overall was a solid read. I’d recommend it to people who want to read Gothic-flavored historical fiction, and I’d give them some content warnings.
Romancing the Gothic – 300 Years of Gothic Romance lecture by Lori A. Paige on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5fOuVY-PGA
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Alcohol, Misogyny, Ableism, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Classism, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Pregnancy, Child death, Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Slavery
Like I said in the review, much of the content warnings are period-typical for the 1840s (when the book is set) and 1940s (when the author wrote it). The racism is both anti-Black and anti-Irish.izzy502's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape, Addiction, and Gun violence
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