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deadnberried's review
4.0
A wonderful sampling of the period that gives so much more than the narratives themselves.
lukeisthename34's review
5.0
Actually picked this up, way before I ever met Davis, at The Molly Brown House Museum in Denver. This is my favorite because it's just exactly the sort of writing and story that I dig. Classic writers, classic America, scary fun.
jayrothermel's review
3.0
An uneven collection. It collects "true" anecdotes and folklore, alternating with short stories and novel excerpts. The high points are several Washington Irving tales collected as "The Money Diggers," and the great colonial section of Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. North America was settled in a series of horrible social advances by the bourgeoisie; the editor lets this go unmentioned.
mwgerard's review
5.0
I spent much of my childhood in New England. Early American cemeteries with grinning skull tombstones. Wood beam buildings with low ceilings. Early winter nights buffeted against gaping brick hearths. Old maple trees that creak in the wind. I was steeped in colonial settings.
In my last semester as an English major, my college had kind of run out of classes for me to take — ones that I was interested in any way — and as I had a reputation for being a good student I was allowed to do an independent study. I chose to focus on the American gothic, something we had only touched on briefly. I had devoured the British gothic classics but now I wanted to see the American take on it. I wrote up my own syllabus (approved by the professor) and sought out those voices that could only have been shaped by early American folk lore.
I found plenty of short stories, and a couple of novels. Wieland; or the Transformation (1798) by Charles Brockden Brown was jaw-dropping and is still one of my favorite books. I wish this collection by Davis had been around as it would have been tremendously helpful for my reading list.
Whether you are looking to expand your understanding of literary styles or simply want a good ghost story, I highly recommend this well-constructed collection.
Please read my full review: https://mwgerard.com/review-colonial-horrors/
In my last semester as an English major, my college had kind of run out of classes for me to take — ones that I was interested in any way — and as I had a reputation for being a good student I was allowed to do an independent study. I chose to focus on the American gothic, something we had only touched on briefly. I had devoured the British gothic classics but now I wanted to see the American take on it. I wrote up my own syllabus (approved by the professor) and sought out those voices that could only have been shaped by early American folk lore.
I found plenty of short stories, and a couple of novels. Wieland; or the Transformation (1798) by Charles Brockden Brown was jaw-dropping and is still one of my favorite books. I wish this collection by Davis had been around as it would have been tremendously helpful for my reading list.
Whether you are looking to expand your understanding of literary styles or simply want a good ghost story, I highly recommend this well-constructed collection.
Please read my full review: https://mwgerard.com/review-colonial-horrors/
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