#gothic literature

pigeonbard:

“Welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring!”

Our boy Jonathan meeting his very normal pal, Count Dracula.

Dracula Daily is seriously the best thing I’ve ever seen. OG Dracula deserves a fandom!

I recently listened to a dramatic reading of the Mask of the Red Death and the Premature Burial side by side. One thing that really stood out to me is how the both the narrator of the Premature Burial and the prince do everything they can to prevent their worst fears from coming true, but still fail. One of them is just lucky to make it through it.

The Premature Burial summarized: “Wouldn’t it be messed up if that happened? Anyway, I’m Edgar Allan Poe.”

A DnD character idea: Kenku necromancer named “Nevermore” and only speaks in Poe verses.

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.

If your favorite literary monster is the Phantom of the Opera or Frankenstein, you probably feel like you often don’t really fit in.

One thing that I think is funny about Dracula is that for all the chivalrous overtures from the male characters, most of them are pretty ineffectual when it comes to protecting Mina. Instead, it is the damsel in distress, Mina, who plays the biggest role in taking down Dracula.

Given Lucy’s wealth, natural charisma, and beauty, I am convinced she would be a successful Instagram influencer in a modern reimaging of Dracula.

Mary Shelly, probably: “I can’t have Victor complete the female creature. She would be too awesome for the Romantic era to handle”

I sometimes really wish Mary Shelley wrote that Victor brought the bride to life rather than destroying her. It would have really made the Creature confront himself and his place in the world if he meet another creature like himself, but not exactly like him.

I really like the idea of Mina going on to be a detective of supernatural crimes after the events Dracula.

Dracula:

The Brides: “You can’t sit with us!”

“I died because I was a pretty girl in a gothic horror story squad”

Lucy Westenra, Dracula

Lenore, Lenore

Justine, Frankenstein

I noticed something about Frankenstein,Victor doesn’t decide to hunt down the creature until after his creation kills Clerval. Victor isn’t finally motivated to do something about the creature by the deaths of his family members, but by the death of his childhood friend.

Frankensteinis the kind of novel where neither the hero and villian come out as wholly good people in the end. I tend to sympathize with the creature the most because a lot of the problems he faces are a direct result of Victor creating him and then abandoning him. However, the one time I really dislike the creature is when he kills Victor’s little brother frames Justine. 

Of course, murdering a kid just to hurt Victor is pretty messed up on its’ own. But it’s the creature’s justification for framing Justine isn’t just a matter of him covering his tracks. He explicitly says he framed her because he thinks she is pretty and is angry because he assumes he can’t have her because of his scary appearance. Justine’s only crimes are being pretty and being loosely connected to the Frankentstein family.

Imagine being Justine dozing off while watching the energetic little boy you babysit plays only to wake up and find you’ve been accused of the boy’s murder. Meanwhile, your employer’s elder son seems to have information that might help you out of your predicament, but says nothing.

An interesting thing I noticed in Dracula, at least 2 times in the novel, vampire characters appear to use kisses as euphemism for vampire bites.

1. The brides and Dracula mention kissing in the same context as biting when the brides try to attack Jonathan

2. Vampire Lucy tries to tempt Arthur to come closer to let her bite him by promising him kisses

Imagine being Elizabeth and having your childhood sweetheart/adopted brother ghost you for 2 years after he drops out of college only to show up randomly, shaken and traumatized while refusing to give any information on what happened. Then, your maid is falsely condemned to death for the murder of your nephew. Meanwhile, the whole time your fiancé is acting strange and keeps putting off marrying you. Finally, when actually marries you the secret he kept kills you.

EDIT: This isn’t a pro ElizabethXVictor ship post. Elizabeth just has a really strange time throughout the novel.

An idea for novel: A retelling of Frankenstein from Safie’s perspective with historically accurate details of her home country and explains how she copes with her new life in France before the creature appears.