“The world of Gothic fiction resembles nothing so much as the hall of mirrors in an amusement park horror house. Lost in a labyrinth, the victim is confronted at every turn with variations on one endlessly reduplicated image. That the image is in some way his or her own makes the comparison particularly apt, for the essential quality of the haunted mind is an inability to see anything but itself. What T. S. Eliot called “the awful privacy of the insane mind” results from the sick ego’s tendency to expand its circumference to encompass the world. In this Gothic vision, egotism and anxiety expand the self to monstrous proportions, sucking everything into one vortex of horror, until there is no division between the me and the not–me. In Radcliffe’s and Lewis’s prisons there is at least the possibility of escape, but this prison offers its solitary inmate no walls to get beyond.”
—Eugenia C. Delamotte,Perils of the Night: A Feminist Study of Nineteenth-Century Gothic, 1990.
My design for Justine Moritz from the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley ♥
It was very interesting researching what working women wore in the 18th century and I ended up having so much fun designing her! :) (And then redesigning her a few dozen times too!! XD )
My design(s) for Elizabeth Lavenza from Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein” ❤️
In the 1818 version she is described as having dark auburn hair and hazel eyes and in the 1831 revised version she is described with golden hair and blue eyes, so I thought I’d draw both :)
Also I tried to dress her authentically so I hope you’re proud of me because 1780s to 1790s women’s fashion is very confusing XD
My own take on a design for Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
(Specifically this is meant to be Victor around the time he was studying at the university of Ingolstadt.)
I feel I should specify this is based almost exclusively on his character in the book, so not an AU and also not drawn for any other reason than to try and appease my slightly obsessing mind XD
This isn’t necessarily his finalised design, but for this little project I thought it would be fun to share my character designs with you all as I draw them :)
I have also drawn designs for some of the other characters already, so expect more Frankenstein drawings in the near future my dears ♥
Want Frankenstein bit by bit in your email twice a week starting in February of 2023? We’re doing this Dracula Daily style! Twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday) I’ll drop a section of the book, in written order, in your email and we’ll meme poor Victor and cheer on Adam together! If you want to join in this, this is your chance to sign up!
I think substack will have an archive for anyone late to the party, but hopefully by spreading the word now (May 2022), we can all start together on February 1 2023. February 1 was chosen because it’s after Dracula Daily ends, and also Mary Shelley’s death anniversary. I think she’d like this shenanigans. She’d have a blast with tumblr!
Anyway, please join us in the fun and feel free to reblog this so word gets out with the sign up link!
Something I would love to see: A sequel to Dracula that takes decades place after Dracula’s demise in which a middle aged Jonathan and Mina work to defeat the Brides who are wreaking havoc in the British countryside.
October Reads Belated Book Photo Challenge #23: Judged by the Cover
I was pretty sure this one would be good, mostly because Holly Black is a fantastic author. I was a little worried that it would fall into the recent human-and-vampire-fall-in-love-TRAGEDY-ENSUES trend in paranormal YA lit, but my fears were unwarranted. Black creates an unusual world of vampires where vampirism is more like a disease than a curse. Her vampires aren’t good or evil, they’re just as changeable as humans. They live in quarantined cities, and televise their lives to the outside world.
The main character, Tana, is a teenager thrown into the vampire world against her will. She manages to survive various shocking ordeals through a combination of raw determination and brains, with a healthy dash of panic thrown in. I ended up loving the book, which has a delightfully ambiguous ending, suitably subdued love story, and fabulous cast of characters.
Who will like this book? lovers of creative vampires, strong teen heroines, gothic settings, and secret identities. Urban gothic fantasy at its finest.
