The Tale of Terror (Classic Reprint): A Study of the Gothic Romance: A Study of the Gothic Romance (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Birkhead, Edith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1333592620 ISBN 13: 9781333592622

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

This book is an exploration of the enduring popularity of the tale of terror in English literature, examining the evolution of the genre from the medieval period to modern times. The author explores the cultural and psychological reasons for the enduring appeal of horror as a literary form. They trace the development of Gothic conventions such as the haunted castle, the persecuted heroine, and the supernatural events and discuss the ways in which these conventions have been adapted and reinterpreted by successive generations of writers. The author also examines the role of the tale of terror in shaping the larger literary landscape, arguing that it has been a significant force in the development of realism, symbolism, and other modern literary movements.

About this title

About the Author

Edith Birkhead was a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Bristol and a Noble Fellow at the University of Liverpool. She wrote a pioneering work on Gothic literature: The Tale of Terror (1921). This work described the fascination with supernatural fiction in English literature from the publication of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto in 1764 to Charles Maturin's 'Melmoth the Wanderer' in 1820 on to modern times. She included works from Europe as well as America, including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1333592620
• ISBN 13: 9781333592622
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256