I grew up on the sunny Central Coast of California, loving the Gothic. Now, I'm not talking the "oh, my upper middle-class life is a veil of tears - I must clothe myself in the mourning weeds of a misunderstood youth and 'Please, Mom, I have to stop at Walgreen's on the way home to buy more semi-permanent black hair dye'." type of Goth, I'm talking misty moors, haunted houses, and brooding gentlemen. So, below is the brief history of my time in the Gothic mode:
The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess Frances Hodgson Burnett
Rappacinni's Daughter Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Speckled Band Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The short stories of Edgar Allen Poe
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Dracula Bram Stoker
The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield
Gormenghast Mervyn Peake
Pretty much anything by Shirley Jackson - particularly We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Picture of Dorian Grey Oscar Wilde
Edward Gorey's anything - but I like "The Curious Sofa" best
I'm sure that, with enough time and energy, I could come up with twenty more, but this is a solid start. Now go to the library, and get reading!
