Gothic Tales
Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell, published by Penguin in February 2001, presents a collection of chilling narratives that intertwine the real and the supernatural. This edition spans 416 pages and is written in English, showcasing Gaskell’s ability to evoke eerie atmospheres through her storytelling. The tales explore themes of mystery and horror, drawing inspiration from local legends and historical events, such as the Salem witch hunts.
Readers will encounter a variety of stories that range from the darkly surreal to the mischievous. In “Disappearances,” Gaskell weaves together gossip and fact surrounding mysterious vanishings, while “Lois the Witch” delves into the hysteria fueled by jealousy and desire. Other tales, like “The Old Nurse’s Story,” feature haunting figures roaming desolate landscapes. This collection highlights a departure from Gaskell’s typical social realism, revealing a more unsettling and gothic style that invites exploration of the uncanny and the macabre.
Official synopsis Publisher
Elizabeth Gaskell’s chilling Gothic tales blend the real and the supernatural to eerie, compelling effect. ‘Disappearances’, inspired by local legends of mysterious vanishings, mixes gossip and fact; ‘Lois the Witch’, a novella based on an account of the Salem witch hunts, shows how sexual desire and jealousy lead to hysteria; while in ‘The Old Nurse’s Story’ a mysterious child roams the freezing Northumberland moors. Whether darkly surreal, such as ‘The Poor Clare’, where an evil doppelgänger is formed by a woman’s bitter curse, or mischievous like ‘Curious, if True’, a playful reworking of fairy tales, all the stories in this volume form a stark contrast to the social realism of Gaskell’s novels, revealing a darker and more unsettling style of writing.
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