Gothic

Gothic literature combines elements of both horror and romance.

+ The Picture of Dorian Gray*, Oscar Wilde
This book tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Talking in Basil's garden, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry's world view.

+ Frankenstein*, Mary Shelley
The book opens with one of several letters from from a sea captain encouraging his sister to share his enthusiasm about his journey to the North Pole. His last letter tells the startling story of his having seen a being of gigantic stature shaped like a man, fleeing across the ice which is threatening to enclose the ship. The next day another sled appears, carrying the wasted and maddened Victor Frankenstein, who is pursuing the giant and gets taken aboard. Frankenstein tells his story of how once he began in earnest to know all that could be known.

+ Jane Eyre*, Charlotte Brontë
When Jane returns to Thornfield, the houseguests have left. Rochester tells Jane he will soon marry Blanche, so she and Adèle will need to leave Thornfield. In the middle of this charade, Jane reveals her love for him, and the two end up engaged. Jane is happy to be marrying the man she loves, but during the month before the wedding she is plagued by strange dreams of a destroyed Thornfield and a wailing infant. Two nights before the wedding, a frightening, dark-haired woman enters her room and rips her wedding veil in two.

+ The Turn of the Screw*, Henry James
A narrator listens to a male friend reading a manuscript written by a former governess whom the latter claims to have known and who is now dead. It tells how the young governess is hired by a man who has found himself responsible for his niece & nephew after the death of their parents. He has no interest in raising the children. The boy, is attending a boarding school whilst his sister is living at the country home. She is currently being cared for by the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. The governess's new employer gives her full charge of the children and explicitly states that she is not to bother him with communications of any sort. The governess travels to her new employer's country house and begins her duties.

+ Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*, Robert Louis Stevenson
Jekyll attempts to keep his dark half, Edward Hyde, under control and then to prevent himself from becoming Hyde permanently.

+ Wuthering Heights*, Emily Brontë
Heathcliff’s great natural abilities, strength of character, and love for Catherine Earnshaw all enable him to raise himself from humble beginnings to the status of a wealthy gentleman, but his need to revenge himself for Hindley’s abuse and Catherine’s betrayal leads him into a twisted life of cruelty and hatred; Catherine is torn between her love for Heathcliff and her desire to be a gentlewoman, and her decision to marry the genteel Edgar Linton drags almost all of the novel’s characters into conflict with Heathcliff.