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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
SUMMARY: A collection of short fiction and poetry filled with gothic tales and creeping horrors from women writers of the late 1800s, featuring Kate Chopin, Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and many more. Embracing their inner Medusa, these writers use horror and genre to interrogate the societal expectations of their gender and twist the archetypes they’ve been relegated to in literature.
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REVIEW: The title perfectly captures what readers are in for. There is such a variety of work--folklore-inspired poems, ghost stories, twisted fairytales, dark satire--but all imbued with magic and monsters in all forms. I appreciated the inclusion of classics like Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” but I also discovered writers and stories completely new to me. One of my favorites was “Dionea” by Violet Paget, an epistolary story in which a little girl orphaned in a shipwreck grows more like her namesake from Greek mythology with every passing year. Just one of many beautiful and rich stories!
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The introduction by the collection’s editor, Dr. Theodora Goss, made this collection an accessible way to enjoy and engage with classic gothic literature. Dr. Goss explains the historical context that these women wrote in and the thematic connection to Medusa of mythology. She goes on to layout 12 archetypes or themes that were placed on women in literature, like “the silencing of women” and “the witch and/as the goddess,” and briefly delves into examples from the collection. It offers an easy starting point for readers to engage in their own critical reading of these stories and poems, even if they aren’t literary scholars. As a big book nerd, I really appreciated this aspect!
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There’s plenty to dig into for classic literature lovers, but I would also recommend this to anyone casually interested in feminist writers, gothic literature, or historical genre works. AND BONUS, the book features gorgeous illustrations.
.
REVIEW: The title perfectly captures what readers are in for. There is such a variety of work--folklore-inspired poems, ghost stories, twisted fairytales, dark satire--but all imbued with magic and monsters in all forms. I appreciated the inclusion of classics like Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” but I also discovered writers and stories completely new to me. One of my favorites was “Dionea” by Violet Paget, an epistolary story in which a little girl orphaned in a shipwreck grows more like her namesake from Greek mythology with every passing year. Just one of many beautiful and rich stories!
.
The introduction by the collection’s editor, Dr. Theodora Goss, made this collection an accessible way to enjoy and engage with classic gothic literature. Dr. Goss explains the historical context that these women wrote in and the thematic connection to Medusa of mythology. She goes on to layout 12 archetypes or themes that were placed on women in literature, like “the silencing of women” and “the witch and/as the goddess,” and briefly delves into examples from the collection. It offers an easy starting point for readers to engage in their own critical reading of these stories and poems, even if they aren’t literary scholars. As a big book nerd, I really appreciated this aspect!
.
There’s plenty to dig into for classic literature lovers, but I would also recommend this to anyone casually interested in feminist writers, gothic literature, or historical genre works. AND BONUS, the book features gorgeous illustrations.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Some spooky, witchy stories from authors I recognized and wanted to read more of (Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Edith Wharton) and from those I didn't recognize. I skipped around the collection.
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Glad I read this even if I never really got into it
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I originally learned of this press because they published an edition of Carmilla introduced by Carmen Maria Machado, but when I was on their website I saw this beauty and knew I had to have it. I’m only just starting to fully appreciate Victorian/Gothic writing and this collection of short stories and poems taught me a lot about my taste. My only wish is that I was in a literature class that could dissect and contextualize all of these texts!!
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A