I'm not even exaggerating when I say you've basically saved my A-Level English Lit grade. You're honestly so amazing!! Thank you so much, I find your content both interesting and educational. Keep being amazing!!!! :)
This is an amazing video! I’ve been searching for something like this for ages - not about Gothic literature specifically, but about classic literature in general! I learned almost nothing about literature at school (a combination of sub-par teaching and a lack of interest), and, now that I’m well out of school, I’m desperately trying to get my knowledge of classics to catch up with my love for them. Thank you so much for these lecture! Please keep them coming! They’re so helpful, enlightening, exciting, and stimulating. You have a real gift for making these works come alive and I’ve learned so much from this channel already. Huge thanks to you!
Thank you for such positive and encouraging feedback. I cannot begin to tell you how much your comments and support keep giving me the motivation to make more videos. Thank you.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier seems to qualify as well. I've read most of the books you mentioned but never thought of them as a particular genre. Your video made me realize how attracted I am to suspense, being unsure about who is the villain, how the main character frees themselves from the situation. Thanks Tristan!
I never thought of Jane Eyre as gothic. It was my first encounter with the Bronte sisters. I have an ebook collection on Google Play Books called 60 Gothic Classics which contains many of the books and stories in this video. Thank you for this enjoyable video.
Tristan your videos are getting better and better! Love this. I have been binging your videos for the last couple of days and you are helping me understand the classics so much better. Thank you!
Good sound effects, yes, there is usually bad weather somewhere in Gothic. Thank you, I enjoyed this and the former Gothic. Agree, Gothic bleeds into Romantic and mystery. I have never heard of Yellow Wallpaper, placed it on Kindle, read the others.
I remember reading The Yellow Wallpaper in college, it stuck with me. I’ve got to one to read, the first, then I’ll have read the full list. Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and 1984 are all favorites.
I would love to see you make one on Romantic Lit, since Gothic and Romantic Lit are so tied together! Also, adding in poetry or making a separate teach-yourself for both genres would be interesting!
Your videos are always interesting and educational. Most school systems should learn from these and maybe children will find reading more interesting. I've read most of the books you have listed, or they're on my reading list. The favorites of the ones that I have read are Frankenstein and The Yellow Wallpaper. I'm definitely going to try to find some Ann Radcliffe.
Thank you so much, that's really kind of you. Ann Radcliffe can be a tad cliché at times but she was a forerunner and her stories are good tales. Hope you enjoy them.
It is, though I didn't put it on this particular list as its style of structure is a little unusual for many, if they've not read too many classics before. But a great book.
It was surprising to me how many of these books I've already read and enjoyed! And a couple that are on my mental tbr. And now I feel I have to add the yellow wallpaper. I'm probably going to buy the Italian first though because I absolutely loved the experience of reading the mysteries of udolpho by Radcliffe. I actually just found your channel and this is the first video I've seen from you. I'm definitely adding you to my rotation. Thanks for making such a fun video. You have a wonderful conversational quality.
You’ve inspired me to read The Italian! I even skipped the summary because I didn’t want a spoiler - I’ll watch it again later though! Thanks for the fun video!
I really enjoyed this! I appreciated the length, the time to each book, how it fits with the genre and it also provides a terrific background to backing a lemon cake, which I decided to make especially sour with sweet syrup so now its a gothic lemon cake.
I enjoy how Northanger Abbey is a spoof on gothic literature, as Jane Austin wrote a novel where the young protagonist is obsessed with gothic literature.
The movie Knives Out, actually the one after that.. Onion something, idk absolutely ruined the Agatha Chrstie book. Or, stole it - in my opinion. I dislike how movies have spoiled books for me!! The first one was The Turning of the Screw by Henry James which the Haunting of Blythe Manor from Netflix. Oh well 🙃
I am just finishing Jane Eyre. It has taken me longer than I'd like, six months to be exact (two children under 5 don't care about my autodidact aspirations) I really need to read the Yellow Wallpaper, but I want to move on to Wuthering Heights or maybe Villette. Thanks for the recommendations! 🕯️👻⛈️📚⚜️🥀
This was such a great video! I've read quite a few of the books you mentioned already but now I want to get the other ones that I don't have and read them in the order you suggest. I love Gothic literature.
Thank you Evie. Gothic literature is great and so enjoyable. As for the order of reading, I never read them in this order, but I really think that the chronological approach is well suited to getting an understanding of how Gothic moves and rolls, and how it could be moulded to new audiences and a changing world.
New subscriber here. I can already tell it's a gold mine. Oddly enough though I really don't like Jane Eyre, too little happens, and Wuthering Heights even significantly less because pf such an excess of dysfunction. From what you say, I should really enjoy Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The comparison to Sherlock Holmes makes me confident. I absolutely love The Hound of the Baskervilles, as well as the other adventures, also many of Doyle's other horror stories. I also like Dickens, though the tone is very different. My favourite classic horror author, not sure to what extent he is gothic yet, is M R James. Besides Doyle, no-one else does the contrast between the intellectual academic setting and unknown creeping dread better. Wonderful stuff.
Great to make your acquaintance, Joanna. I know what you mean about Wuthering Heights. It's a raw and unrefined work, but has such vitality. Sherlock Holmes is incredible. Jekyll and Hyde is not as good as Sherlock in my opinion but is very telling of the notions people were developing about personality in those days.
Good choice. -The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- is utterly gripping and a frightening examination of the human psyche. Frankly in many ways an exploration of drug addiction. Terrific book.
This is wonderful! I am a new subscriber, I first saw your eight elements of Gothic literature video! This is very helpful as I am hosting a goth night in my backyard with an open mic and will have folks doing all sorts of performances. I plan on recreating the lady of shallot in my pool with an inflatable boat 🚤🍂🥀
The Castle Otranto is usually described as the first Gothic novel. It's influenced directly by Hamlet and Macbeth, both of which feature all of the aspects you described in your other video!
I'm a huge nerd when it comes to gothic literature so I feel the need to push back on this just a little. Any education on any topic really aught to start t the beginning. For gothic literature that is The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole. As far as Radcliff goes, there is a bit of contention to her best, more often in my experience that goes to Mysteries of Udolpho. The Italian is more concise, but Udolpho captures the grandeur better. Heck, just read both. Jane Eyre has some of the elements, but the Bronte with the strongest offering is Emily with her Wuthering Heights. How do you have a list of gothic novels to start with and not include Dracula? Your last two examples may have gothic influence and elements, but I think that they are too far removed to really qualify. My list goes like this Castle of Otranto Mysteries of Udolpho/Italian Frankenstein Wuthering Heights Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dracula The Yellow Wallpaper
Thank you! I'm writing my graduate work about the settings in Stephen King's works and firstly I have to go through the whole gothic era 😳Both of your videos about gothic genre were very helpful!
I'm nearing the end of my re-read of Jane Eyre. I love it! But I do hate R. even more this time around. No way could I put up with someone deceiving me that way. And boo hoo, everything is always everybody else's fault. It made me so angry. And the way it's resolved FOR him still frustrates me to this day.
We read The Yellow Wallpaper in high school and I loved it and went down a rabbit hole when we were discussing it in class. My classmates hated me because I wouldn’t shut up and asking questions, 😂
These books are great. They possess observations that are astute and transcendent of temporal location, about the human condition. Of course, we will only be further plagued by people that feel it their right to be invasive in others lives. It hasn't changed, nor will it. Data is a huge industry. In a sense, big brother is watching, thus I commented as you asked. Hehe.
Thanks, Mack. Sadly you are right about the meddling of humans in others lives. Literature is a fascinating insight in how humanity has changed little more than its clothes through the millenia.
Thank you for these! It makes more sense why I enjoy gothic literature now since I grew up reading dystopias! Where does Horror fit in? Did that stem from the gothic as well?
Love this. 😌 Where does one find additional readings on these? I remember getting a pack of additional readings for Jane Eyre in uni, but how does one find good essays etc when self-studying?
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Definitely! Got me in the mind to read some early American Gothic then some Southern. I have enough books on the go, though. One is Gothic though.
Thanks, Tristan! I would say gothic would be my favorite element in literature, so I was super happy to watch this one. 5 of these are some of my all-time favorites, but I would never have thought of 1984. However, that is on my TBR for next year so excited you mentioned it. I'll add The Italian, too. Another great video. 😊
Brilliant as always! Thank you so much. Have you ever considered a list that heads in the opposite direction? Something quirky and extremely fun. You once recommended “Our Man in Havana “ which was delightful. I’m currently in “A Damsel in Distress “ by Wodehouse. Books like these help the change things up after reading more serious literature. Would love to know if you have any favorites?
Very interesting! Really to see And then there were none on that list because I put it on my own list (on my small french channel) and I wasn't so sure about it! I referred to your first gothic video in the description since it was sooo interesting!
Thankyou very much for this Tristan! I have read 4 of the 7, and have two more on my bookshelves that I haven't read but am looking forward to (The Italian and Frankenstein). I will have to find a copy of The Yellow Wallpaper; I had never heard of it until a few months ago. But now that you described its plot I realize that Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno García is heavily influenced by it (as well as other Gothic traditions).
Thank you. Loved this video. Ordering the ItLian and The Yellow Room today. All of your videos are awesome. I still am processing how much I learned Friday m your Jane Eyre review a few weeks ago. It’s my favorite book and have read it numerous times and missed so much. I will be waiting anxiously for your next post.
Very enLightning! Great Crash course! You are the impetus to get me reading some stories I Know I love their authors, like RLS, but have yet to read just that One. Will crack on! Thank you for your exuberance, always Tristan! We share the luck of those in your milieu!
I am enjoying this series, thank you! I love classic gothic literature ... could you do a video on the gothic novels and/or short stories by Joyce Carol Oates?
Very interesting Tristan! I have read Frankenstein , Agatha Christie and have Jane Eyre on my to be read list. I love atmospheric gothic novels such as Rebecca and Wuthering Heights so I may have to add the others to my list
Thank you Linda. You are right about du Maurier. I think some may find it surprising that I left her out of the list. It is only because, at some point, I hope to do another video on great Gothic authors.
So good to see you again !! Love this topic! May I please add one more to your list? This will be one you will probably never have heard of but by my favorite guy Alexander Dumas. The title is Castle Eppstein or perhaps, L' Chateau d' Eppstein. A huge very old castle owned by loads of past generations of the family, set in the middle of a German forest, beautiful woman marries into the family, secret messages and visitors. You get it, super excellent and a total Gothic. It is said that it was written by Papa Dumas in it's entirety and not in installments for magazines. Might not be easy to find however. It hits all of the boxes.
Thanks for this video Tristan. I love this genre. I read four from this list. Oh I would have never thought of 1984 to be honest, even though it makes sense because it is the scariest book I have ever read. And then were none is on my to be read list for years and I haven't read it yet. Thanks for making this video 😊
The thing with 1984 is that it is hard to pin down to a specific genre. It is not what some might term an out-and-out gothic novel. Some may dispute the claim altogether. However, I think it can be said that the influence of gothic is felt in the design of the story. Would love to know what you think of And Then There Were None.
