An October gothic reading list ♡
Shadowy romances, haunted narratives and the sublime.
I found myself a new obsession: romantic gothic literature.
I love the eeriness, I love the depth, I love the hidden feelings, I love yearning for a loved one, I love the atmosphere, I love romance in a brooding setting.
In anticipation of Emerald Fennell’s upcoming film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, I read the original classic by Emily Brontë for the first time this August. It completely hooked me.
It felt more exciting than traditional romance. I love characters like Heathcliff or Cathy, because they are not “good” people, they are real people, with flaws and internal struggles.
They are torn between themselves and what is expected of them from society. They are the core of gothic literature.
Gothic literature forces us to sit with the discomfort. It forces us to face parts of society we don’t like. It allows the exploration of themes relating to the dark side of human nature in a dreamy way.
That’s what I love most about it.
While I am currently reading Dune by Frank Herbert, I had purposely decided not to read another gothic book after Wuthering Heights because I wanted to keep them all for October.
So here goes my October gothic list:
Shirley Jackson, arguably the most iconic gothic female writer.
Being completely honest, I am slightly worried I won’t love this book because it is definitely not a romance gothic novel.
But, in the spirit of gothicism, I want to get out of my comfort zone with this one, and explore a less dreamy side of the genre that feels a lot more daunting.
Since I am quite worried about how I will feel after reading We Have Always Lived in a Castle, I decided for the next book on the list to be Jane Eyre.
It will allow me to go back to my usual dreamy gothic novels.
A gothic novel with a haunted narrative and an autumn atmosphere. What else is better?
As for classic gothicism, I will finish the month off with this vampire novella, one that predates Dracula and that shaped the genre in unimaginable ways.
Kindles are not really for me, so I will be buying paper editions of these books.
Since I want to start curating a library, if I really love any of these books enough, I will buy special editions of them.
While scrolling online I saw this edition of Wuthering Heights that I absolutely want to buy. It’s illustrated and the cover is so beautiful!
Back to the archives.
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