Showing results for "Gothic" in Science

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu...was in his own particular vein one of the best story-tellers of the nineteenth century; and the present volume contains a collection of forgotten tales by him, and of tales not previously known to be his. He stands absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories. That is my deliberate verdict, after reading all the supernatural tales I have been able to get hold of. Nobody sets the scene better than he, nobody touches in the effective detail more deftly. Ghost stories and tales of mystery are what this volume contains, and, in order to lure the reader on, I ...

A Phantom Lover is a supernatural novella by Vernon Lee (pseudonym of Violet Paget) first published in 1886. Set in a Kentish manor house, the story concerns a portrait painter commissioned by a squire, William Oke, to produce portraits of him and his wife, the eccentric Mrs. Alice Oke, who bears a striking resemblance to a woman in a mysterious, seventeenth century painting. (Summary by Anthony Leslie)

The Listener' First, it was a strange array of cats, then an increasingly mysterious, and then terrifying increase in...happenstances and...appearances... 'Number Thirteen' Unlucky for some this room is...on a visit to a Denmark with an ancient presence... 'The Horla' Yes, I believed, that an invisible being lived beneath my roof. How weak our head is, and how quickly it is terrified and goes astray, we immediately imagine terrible mysteries and supernatural powers. 'The Beast with Five Fingers' With murderous vengeance, the beast pursues the two friends. Will secrecy, intense surveillance and...

Considering that Billy Pringle, or Fine Billy, as his good-natured friends called him, was only an underbred chap, he was as good an imitation of a Swell as ever we saw. He had all the airy dreaminess of a hereditary high flyer, while his big talk and off-hand manner strengthened the delusion. It was only when you came to close quarters with him and found that though he talked in pounds he acted in pence, and marked his fine dictionary words and laboured expletives, that you came to the conclusion that he was “painfully gentlemanly.” So few people, however, agree upon what a gentleman is, ...

More stories by Canadian Stephen Leacock. Some of these stories carry over characters introduced in Further Foolishness. Some stories are humourous; some are more thoughtful. It helps to be familiar with WWI-era European politics to catch much of the humour. (Summary by TriciaG)

In 1877, two gentlemen, Messrs Tonnison and Berreggnog, head into Ireland to spend a week fishing in the village of Kraighten. While there, they discover in the ruins of a very curious house a diary of the man who had once owned it. Its torn pages seem to hint at an evil beyond anything that existed on this side of the curtains of impossibility. This is a classic novel that worked to slowly bridge the gap between the British fantastic and supernatural authors of the later 19th century and modern horror fiction. Classic American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft lists this and other works by ...

A collection of short and humorous one-act "sequels" to 14 major plays (many already in the Librivox catalog). Plays end too soon. They never show the whole of what I want to know. The curtain falls and I'm perplexed with doubts about what happened next. Did HAMLET'S father haunt no more the battlements of Elsinore? Does LADY TEAZLE never call at LADY SNEERWELL'S now at all? Was BENEDICK'S a happy marriage? And will the MELNOTTES keep a carriage? Will AUBREY take to wife one day another MRS. TANQUERAY? Do ECCLES and his stepson wrangle? Has anything been heard of DANGLE? What has become of MRS...

Stephen Crane's first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets has been called "the first dark flower of American Naturalism" for its distinctive elements of naturalistic fiction. The chief character, Maggie, descends into prostitution after being led astray by her lover. Rather than focusing on those that make up the very rich or middle class, the novel highlights the deplorable living conditions of the working class during the so-called Gilded Age in New York's Bowery. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Illiterati)

Lady Lydiard has an uncomfortable bit of business to settle, and intends to do so with a five hundred pound note. But just as she is about to complete the letter with which she is to send the note off, an emergency occurs in the house, and for a little while everyone is preoccupied - be it with the sick dog Tommie, the management of the house, or a kindling love. But when everything settles down again, the note is missing. Who took it? - Summary by Carolin

Dormant is a gothic novel. It begins breezily enough with seven friends starting out in life. Rose, the artist, falls in love with Anthony, the chemist. Things become increasingly complicated and sinister as Anthony comes into an unexpected inheritance. He gains riches, property, position, and a secret, long lain dormant. - Summary by Amy Gramour

Matthew Gregory Lewis's The Monk: A Romance is a story of frustrated and unrequited desire between mentor and pupil mixed with elements of the supernatural. It includes several subplots: rape, torture and incest. It is the old story of the forces of good versus the forces of evil, except that in this one evil comes out ahead. When The Monk was first published in 1795, it was received well by readers and reviewers causing a second edition to be printed the following year. But by the third year, there began a growing criticism of the book and of Lewis mostly on the basis of immorality. In fact, ...

The complete collection of works using this title. Other versions, including the Project Gutenberg version, have been radically shortened. Mark Twain published several collections of his short stories and essays. This collection, like the others, dramatically demonstrates the eclectic nature of his work and the depth of his humanistic thinking. Each essay stands alone. Listeners will find many instances where modern times come to mind. (John Greenman)

Explore the mysterious beauty of gothic gardening with this illustrated plant encyclopedia, featuring the history, myths, and lore behind 50 dark and unique plants perfect for creating your very own spooky garden. From the Mangave Black Widow to the humble mint plant, discover the hidden stories...