As I prepare for my final term paper I realized that I hadn't yet posted some of my independent study readings.

39.
Title: [The Woman in White]
Author: Wilkie Collins
Genre: Victorian Gothic
Medium: Broadview Paperback
Acquisition: Victorian IS Reading
Date Completed: Spring 2016
Rating: ******

Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White is a wonderfully gothic sensation novel, rich in themes of morality, madness, deceit, and romance. Walter Hartright (heart - right) is engaged as a drawing instructor in a wealthy country household, and, predictably, falls in love with the beautiful sister, Laura.  Thematically consistent is Laura's standing engagement to the reprehensible Sir Percival Glyde, to whom Laura promises herself at her father's deathbed, and to whom she is married in the early course of the novel.  Glyde is not what he appears to be, and his repugnant characteristics reveal themselves as a mysterious young woman, Anne, makes herself known as a one-time childhood companion of Laura, devotee to Laura's late mother, and keeper of a secret that threatens Glyde in some mysterious way.  Though many of these narrative devices and themes are consistent within the genre, to the point of near-cliche, Collins masterfully builds mystery and suspense, serving his readers both what they expect of the material, while using strong characterization to heighten the reader's engagement with the narrative.  The reader will shrink from Glyde, mistrusting his actions, and feeling anxiety over Laura; though traditionally pathetic, Laura's strong character allows for a level of sympathy occasionally denied heroines her her position; Count and Countess Fosco are perhaps even less trustworthy than their friend and host, Gylde, and loom ominously around the edges of the narrative, and so forth.  That the romantic lead Walter is a shallow wash of a character does not hinder the plot, but rather allows for the substitution of one's own romantic figure in his place, allowing a personal entry into the narrative for maximum fantasizing.

For my own purposes and writing, Anne is the most engaging character, and her relationship to Laura provides a point of fascination.  The titular "woman in white," Anne is both phantom and fleshly, represented as slightly mad and therefore less trustworthy, but a keeper of some of the most extraordinary knowledge in the novel.  In reading the material construction of identity, I am struck by the other characters' reading of her blanched wardrobe, and its purported significance, not so far from a time when such choices would be fashionable and romantic.  Significant, too, is her status as a doppelganger, and the machinations surrounding this pot device.  I find it difficult to go further without spoiling the mystery of the novel, but promise to make good use of these points in my final semester writing.

Highly recommended for fans of the Victorian or the Gothic.

40.
Title: [The Odd Women]
Author: George Gissing
Genre: Victorian
Medium: Broadview Paperback
Acquisition: Victorian IS Reading
Date Completed: Spring 2016
Rating: ****

The position of women in nineteenth-century England cannot be over-exaggerated: they are victimized at every level of society, and have to fight extraordinary social and political battles to attain even the most basic rights. Gissing's The Odd Women works to illustrate society's failure in relation to unmarried women specifically, Gissing's "odd" women being the "redundant" women of Rathbone's lamentation.  The novel opens with the orphaning of the Madden sisters, daughters of a physician of various ages and levels of education, none of whom are prepared for self-support.  When Dr. Madden's untimely demise leaves the girls to fend for themselves they, as a rule, fail, and the novel follows the regrettable existence of half of these daughters, along with their bluestocking friend, Rhoda.  The text works hard to reveal social ills, and to illustrate the efforts being made to rectify these shortcomings.  Critically, Gissing's work feels extraordinary, and is a significant critique that belongs on any introductory English or gender studies syllabus.  Personally, I did not enjoy the text; the Madden sisters in their poor state are wooden ad monochromatically pathetic, and so while I lament greatly their position my emotional response comes wholly from my own historical research rather than the narration of the sisters themselves.  Similarly, I found Rhoda to be exceptionally abrasiveness, and while I enjoy her position, and can laugh at some of her extremist views, I found her to be ineffective for my own current position. Final thoughts: important and useful social text, but not necessarily an engaging personal read.

Whoops, missed one.

15.
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Gothic Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 23, 2016
Rating: ****

I teach Shirley Jackson's last (and, in my opinion, best) novel as a companion to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for a unit on madness which explores the complications of "untrustworthy" narrators, the labeling of mental illness, social commentary, and perspective.  Mary Katherine Blackwood is undoubtedly different; though her actions aren't condoned  in the "real" world, the satire of the text offers her a compelling sense of sympathy which makes for a curious and enjoyable reading experience.  My students are often surprised when I bring up what they already know - MK identifies her age as 18 within the first paragraph, but students often gloss over this in reading her tone, which is much younger - and are quick to vilify her for her aggressive fantasies (i.e. wishing death and pain on the townsfolk she is forced to interact with twice a week).  They toss around the work "psychopath," no doubt because of our fist reading of Kesey, and so this time around I found the "test" for psychopathic disorder, and we systematically checked her behaviors against the list, with two other prominent characters - with wonderfully surprising results.  I won't say more, so as to avoid spoilers, but actually attempting to diagnose the characters provided a unique perspective on the text, and brought the satire into sharp focus.

November 2015

63.
Title: [The Turn of the Screw]
Author: Henry James
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: November 4, 2015
Rating: ****

The Turn of the Screw is a typical Victorian ghost story, featuring an isolated and abandoned governess and her two mysterious charges.  Though my professor challenged my reading, I maintain that the children are themselves the most threatening figures in the story, and find that this reading is far more engaging.

64.
Title: [Fun Home]
Author: Alison Bechdel
Genre: Comic Memoir
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Affect Theory
Date Completed: November 10, 2015
Rating: *****

This was my second reading of Bechel's graphic memoir, after approximately nine years, this time for a class on affect theory.  Bechdel's illustrations and voice are compelling, and her struggle with her father's suicide and the development of her personal identity will engage the reader from the very beginning. For class, we are framing our conversation through Jose Munoz's "disidentification," with great success.

65.
Title: [Othello]
Author: Shakespeare
Genre: Drama
Medium: Folger
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: November 10, 2015
Rating: *****

63> Both the gothic course and the affect course were amazing. I'm working on my term papers now, and it's both exciting and terrifying.  I gave a smashing paper on [Fun Home] a couple of weeks ago for Affect, and I don't think I'm going to be able to meet it.

64> I agree - it's one of the things I like best about teaching. The most exciting time is when a student comes up with something that's just so darn smart, that I've never thought of before.  It's wonderful!

66.
Title: [Manners and Mutiny]
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preorder
Date Completed: November 14, 2015
Rating: ****1/2

Manners and Mutiny is the final installment of Carriger's Finishing School series, which works backwards from Parasol Protectorate to develop the history of some familiar faces.  The plot is consistent with the rest of the series, and actually develops characters from the beginning, which I appreciate.  As a whole I didn't find it to be the most thrilling, but it did follow through with much that was promised, and for that I appreciated it.  A clean finish.

67.
Title: [Incubus Dreams]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Ancient History
Date Completed: November 2015
Rating: ***

It's been interesting reading this series straight through for the first time, in fairly close order (not back to back, because teaching and grade school, but certainly closer than before). I'm tempted to say that Incubus Dreams is the book that signals the full shift of Anita Blake from profession to personal; earlier texts introduce some kind of balance between Anita's jobs as an animator and consultant, but in Incubus Dreams that balance is nearly gone - it's almost entirely personal. This is significant because one would thing serial killer vampires coming to time would register more on her professional level, but even the vampire side is marginalized for sex scenes.  I maintain that I don't have a preference for the two sides - I accept the development for what it is - but the moral grandstanding and angst can be a bit difficult to swallow when reading them so close together.

I like Nathaniel.

Also, in the course of research I came across an academic chapter on Anita Blake called "Sleeping With the Enemy."  Fun.  Perhaps I'll read it, when my real research is through.


75. Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. Drama. 11.2015. ***** (forgot to add to original review list)

September 2015

45.
Title: [The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Vol 2]
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 13, 2015
Rating: ***

Anticipating some future research, I've been advised to read Alan Moore's Victorian-esque work.  I taught the first volume of LXG last semester, and ultimately I found that I don't appreciate Moore's interpretation of Gothic characters.  The second volume is slightly better, as some explanations are given for present representations (Mina, Hyde), but ultimately the books are flat with slap-in-the-face allusions.  I have From Hell and Lost Girls on my shelf, and I have hopes that they'll prove more interesting.

46.
Title: [The Replacement]
Author: Brena Yovanoff
Genre: Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 17, 2015
Rating: ***1/2

The spine of my library book has a sticker that says "Scary." I found the title on a list of books "scarier than any movie." I was intrigued, and looking for something nice and spooky, so I went for it.  What I found was not a work of horror at all, but a dark fairy tale.  This is not to say that Yovanoff's book is bad, but rather that my impressions have been colored by false advertising, and so while I found the book readable and pleasantly entertaining, I am ultimately unsatisfied.  The story is situated in a small town which has been mysteriously (and ominously?) helped and hindered by a supernatural presence, which exacts its payment in a forcible (yet highly traditional) way.  A boy uniquely involved in both sides of this exchange steps in with a new perspective, and predictable conflict ensues.

The most legitimately frightening (i.e. disturbing) narrative is a local legend of discrimination, and scapegoating. This book would appeal to anyone drawn to "traditional" fairy stories, which represent not plump godmothers but baby-snatchers and things-that-aren't-quite dead, but not one looking for a more traditional horror or ghost story.

47.
Title: [The Killing Joke]
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Comics
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 18, 2015
Rating: ****1/2

Continuing research, which is very Alan Moore-heavy at the moment.  However, as a fan of Batman (or, more accurately, the villains of the Batman universe), I found The Killing Joke much more compelling than others I've read of late.  Having escaped from the Asylum, Joker buys an old amusement park, to use for the expected nafarious purposes.  The book is dark and violent and culture, as I would expect from more modern Batman, and the at is strong.  The afterward of the book expresses anxiety over offering an origin story for The Joker, whose reality is always to be suspect, but then turns around and suggests that even this origin is untrustworthy -that it, too, could be a manifestation of Joker's madness.  I found a great deal of material which would be very useful for my dissertation work, so I have a feeling I'll be returning to this in the future.

48.
Title: [Horns]
Author: Joe Hill
Genre: Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 20, 2015
Rating: ****

Horns is a complicated and interesting narrative about the distinction between the perceived self and reality, and the ways in which people invent narratives to explain the lives and events going on around them.  The novel opens a year after Ig's girlfriend Merrin has been murdered, and though he's never been charged, Ig still carries the reputation of a "sex murderer" in his small town in New Hampshire.  With Merrin dies all the joy that Ig ever found in life, and the budding horns which appear on his head one hungover morning are just another example of the emotional difficulties he faces.  When Ig seeks help for his new condition he instead hears secrets, and quickly learns to use the influence of his horns to his own advantage, eventually discovering what really happened to Merrin, and the whole truth of the last night they spent together.  The novel is far from perfect, but I appreciated its philosophical treatment of religion, considering without ever really preaching, and offering some explanations and still ore interpretations.  Characters believe, and ultimately the story is not about faith or religion, but rather a deeper kind of truth - the complexity of humans, and the masks we wear everyday.  There are moments I absolutely hated (overly-grandiose, or downright useless), but as a whole I appreciated the build, and found the conclusion perfectly satisfactory.  This is certainly one I'd recommend.
Class readings have started, and oh, what a joy!  My work semester is off to a solid start, and my classes are proving engaging (which is no surprise, considering one of my two classes is Victorian Gothic.  I swoon!). I have little time for casual reads, but given my familiarity with the reading list of one class I'm sure it'll be easier than previous semesters.  Reaching 75 books, though?  Chances are slim.

49.
Title: [The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner]
Author: James Hogg
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview Paperback
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 1, 2015
Rating: ****

I first read Hogg about a decade ago, for an IS in Gothic literature.  I wasn't as invested then as I am now, so my memory of the novel was poor, and this reading was as if the first, with the exception of an understanding of Gil-Martin.  I found the text engaging, and class discussion went swimmingly.

50.
Title: [Uncle Silas]
Author: Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview Paperback
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 9, 2015
Rating: *****

This absolute classic should be read immediately by anyone with even a passing interest in traditional Gothic fiction.  Le Fanu is a leader of the genre, and his psychological thriller of a horror sets the tone for much that is to come.

I won't write at length about these books, since I already have for class, but I will say that I'm only growing more excited for the rest of the semester.

51.  
Title: [The Coldest Girl in Coldtown]
Author: Holly Black
Genre: YA Vampire Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Free download
Date Completed: August 2015
Rating: **

Holly Black's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is unremarkable and flat - so much so that I had forgotten I finished it several weeks ago.  In the swollen genre of vampire romances, Black's lackluster narrative of quarantine and ancient-vampire-falling-for-American-teen adds nothing, and is thoroughly forgettable in its lack of originality and largely two-dimensional characters.  It's as silly as the title suggests, and certainly had no place on the list of "Books Scarier than Any Movie," where I found the citation (along with Horns and The Replacement, above).  In the end, it serves to prove one thing: no list on the internet is to be trusted.

52.
Title: [The Lifted Veil]
Author: George Eliot
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Penguin Classics
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 16, 2015
Rating: ***

George Eliot is highly regarded for her skill as a realist novelist, and so her place in a gothic lit course is at first curious. The Lifted Veil, though, shows that even Eliot's foray into the uncanny is grounded in her realist talents.  In class tonight my colleagues and I agreed that the protagonist does not necessary possess the powers he professes, but rather manifests his beliefs out of his own desperation to prove himself special, unique, and more extraordinary than his brother (to the surprise of our instructor!).  In the end, the story is far more grounded in science and reality, and I would argue is more engaging than a reading of the supernatural (especially in light of much stronger supernatural narratives).

53
Title: [Carmilla]
Author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 16, 2015
Rating: *****

Oh my, how I love Le Fanu's novella, and the complicated and awkward relationship of Laura and Carmilla.  Most of my thoughts are directed towards my term paper, but I wanted to remark on the original illustrations, included in this edition. David Henry Friston and Michael Fitzgerald provide the original artwork, with wildly differing styles - the later seemingly inspired by the Romantics, and the former marketing for the salacious.  The visual rhetoric is charged and curious and worthy of its own in-depth consideration.

"Carmilla" is an essential read for anyone invested in vampire mythology and the narrative history of the character.

54.
Title: [Narcissus in Chains]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Too long to remember
Date Completed: September 21, 2015
Rating: ***

I managed to sneak in a junky read, so I jumped back into my in-order Anita Blake resolution.  Anita is trying to lead the pack of wereleopards she left alpha-less, but riding in on her white hose leads to a series of Unfortunate Events, culminating in bodies on the ground and in her bed, solutions founds and problems complicated. This installment introduces Micah into the mix, and those with Issues continue to have Issues.  Narcissus in Chains wasn't nearly as engaging the second (or was it third?) time around, but I'm also neck-deep in great research, so it may be hard to compete.  My favorite character is the titular werehyena, although he/she makes only the briefest of appearances.  A hermaphroditic lycanthrope who presents male and dresses femininely?  How could I resist?!

55.
Title: [Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 22, 2015
Rating: *****

I'm not including a cover photo because a) the Broadview I read isn't available, and b) I'm slightly bothered by the use of the article "the," which Stevenson does not use in his original.

Stevenson's tale of a person divided comes to him in two feverish dreams, and is hastily scrawled while the author is confined to his bed.  The first version he wrote, however, is lost to the ages; Stevenson's wife criticized the early draft, saying he "missed it completely." His stepson describes Stevenson's fury, during which he threw the entire manuscript into the fire.  The second draft of the narrative is much better received, called a work of genius by the same stepson, and is popularly published in 1886.  Stevenson didn't care much for its popularity, assuming it mean it wasn't a very good work after all, although he wrote in a letter to a critic friend that he did enjoy the income of publishing successfully.

Three years ago I included this novella in a reading of alternative maternity, and a year ago I taught it as part of a course on "missing" stories.  Class conversation was lively and thoughtful, and I left my own re-reading struck by how amoral Dr. Jekyll remains throughout the text, and found a renewed consideration of inheritance to be very useful to my earlier thesis.

56.
Title: [She]
Author: H. Rider Haggard
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September , 2015
Rating: ***

H. Rider Haggard's She is awkward prose saturated in brooding and claustrophobic descriptions of surroundings. Though the adventure gothic is initially popular (selling 20,000 copies in its first month), I found it difficult to invest myself in the narrative, and often grew frustrated.  The consideration of Victorian death culture, exemplified by the burning of mummies for light, of course caught my interest, but these fleeting moments of grotesque horror are not enough for me to rate this novel highly for enjoyment.  It's certainly worth reading for a better consideration of the breadth of the genre, and can incite interesting discussion, but isn't one I'd pick up again for personal enjoyment. I was so excited to read this tale, and was sorely disappointed.

As usual, Broadview wins for useful editions, and fantastic covers.

9.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Book
Date Completed: January 31, 2014
Rating: ****

I'm leading three separate preparations this semester, and will actually be revisiting Kesey's madhouse in a few weeks...

10.
Title: [Curtsies and Conspiracies]
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: "Science Fiction" (I'm very interested in how different libraries label this series differently)
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 1, 2014
Rating: ***

Curtsies and Conspiracies, the second in Gail Carriger's steampunk-esque Finishing School series, is not quite as tittering and titillating as the first; the interest I found is grounded mostly in my interest in The Parasol Protectorate, and the history that now unfolds.  This second book has similarly silly charm, but isn't wonderful on its own merits. 

The covers of this series are much better than the former, I will say. 


11. 
Title: [MacRieve]
Author: Kresley Cole
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 2, 2014
Rating: ****

I find Kresley Cole problematic; she introduces strong female characters, subjects them to extremely brutal circumstances (both emotional and physical), in which they find their "love." The problem is that the "love" is the individual responsible for their torment, and they far too quickly forgive-and-forget - she introduces the idea of "fated mates" to justify rape, shows care by kidnappers, and has one character literally vivisected after being captured by the man she would come to care for.  My "last straw" was Lothaire, which has the protagonist engaging in sexual acts to save her own life, once she is abducted by the titular character. 

I resisted MacRieve both for its own sake - which promises a "slave trade" - and my past experience for the series.  Morbid curiosity eventually lead me to find it in the library.  Ultimately, I was very pleasantly surprised.  Yes, the female protagonist faces great challenges, and even emotional abuse at the hands of her intended, but the titular character himself is reasonably conflicted, and not simply cruel or sadistic.  The story is one of overcoming prejudices (and the emotional turmoil this can generate) as opposed to abuse, and the resolution seems far more reasonable than many others in the series.  For overall improvement, I will happily give this novel four stars.

12. 
Title: [House of Dead Maids]
Author: Clare B. Dunkle
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 6, 2014
Rating: **
This book is not, as the author contends, a prelude to Wuthering Heights; the connection to Bronte's gothic novel is an accident if epilogue, awkward, forced, and without function. It does not follow with either it's supposed source or the time at which it was written, and so failed to meet even one of my limited expectations. It is, however, a juvenile ghost story, and were I twenty years younger just the kind of story I would adore. So, I would argue this novel is best for very young audiences, but anyone over nine, looking for the Heathcliff they know, will be greatly disappointed.

13. 
Title: [Bonds of Denial]
Author: Lynda Aicher
Genre: M/M Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchase
Date Completed: February 8, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

The genre designation of "romance"  is somewhat comical; the genre can be raunchy, flirty, fun, outrageous, disturbing, or just plain goofy, but they very rarely come across as romantic.  To date, I don't know that I would call any of the "romance" novels I read just that, until now.  In Bonds of Desire, which apparently comes somewhere in the middle of an established series, a closeted ex-military security expert finds himself infatuated with a gay escort who frequents the S/M club of which he is a partial owner.  Deeply ashamed of himself and his sexuality, it is an act of bravery that leads him to schedule his crush's services, only to panic and flee.  What follows is a touching and sweet story of two men helping each other find peace in their identities and personal lives, lending support and understanding that neither believes it possible.  It was simply lovely. 

14.
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Gothic, Mystery, Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 9, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

Wonderfully complex ideas on genre, society, madness, and the power of stories. 

43. 
Title: [Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Pages: 62
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Paperback, Norton Critical
Acquisition: Purchased for work
Date Completed: May 15, 2012
Rating: ****

I'd write a review, but I just finished an essay analyzing the theme of alternative reproduction in this text and two others ... so I'm a bit brain-dead at the moment. 

I will say that I detest contemporary representations of the Jekyll/Hyde dynamic, although I saw a fascinating image from "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" in the Norton critical edition...

31, 89.
Author: Shirley Jackson
Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Publication: Paperback
Pages:
Genre: Gothic
Acquisition: Work text
Date Completed: December 2, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

I finished my first reading of Jackson's final completed novel around the same time I was considering texts for the fall semester, and I thought for sure that my students would enjoy the creepy tale a bit more than The Picture of Dorian Gray (which remains my favorite novel, despite their opinions). Reading the novel for analysis versus personal pleasure - and both in the same year - has been an interesting experience, and one I've really enjoyed. I am not as blown away as I was with my first reading (perhaps because I know the mystery), but I am nonetheless charmed and delighted by the satirical Gothic. The opinions of my students are split, but I still recommend it.

83.
Author: Algernon Blackwood
Title: The Damned
Publication: Kindle E-Book
Pages: 116 pages
Genre: Gothic
Acquisition: Can't remember for the life of me
Date Completed: October 23, 2010
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I have no recollection of why I downloaded Algernon Blackwood's The Damned onto my Kindle, but I have a feeling I found it during one of my batch-downloads of free gothic texts. I'm sure the title caught my eye, and I know the author sparked my interest, because the name Algernon Blackwood is simply perfect for an author of horror and gothic literature.

According to Wikipedia, that fount of immeasurable wisdom, Blackwood is an English fiction author who is born in Kent in 1869, and dies in 1951. The Damned is a haunted house tale published in 1914, and it explores not only the classic elements of haunting tales, but also the implications and consequences of specific religious beliefs.

The Damned is very satisfying for fans of the Gothic; the tale is creepy yet subtle, and the narrator's voice is perfectly suited to the material. The religious overtones of the story are intriguing, and the criticism gives the reader much more to consider than a "simple" haunting.

Thanks to such a positive introduction, I will certainly seek out more Algernon Blackwood in the future.

39.
Author: Oscar Wilde
Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Publication: Paperback, Norton
Pages: 184 pages
Genre: Gothic
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: May 13, 2010
Rating: 7 stars out of 5

It is difficult for me to review The Picture of Dorian Gray because of my shifting, yet everlasting, love for the novel. I first fell into infatuation with Lord Henry's wit, grew irrevocably attached to the horror that is Dorian Gray himself, wept over Basil and sympathized with his greatest needs, and shifted through a series of fascinations as I read the novel year after year.

This year I have chosen to focus on the parallel narratives of Dorian Gray, introducing both the primary Gothic tale and the secondary satire of Victorian London society. Alas, I will be abandoning Mr. Wilde next semester, as I feel that we just don't have as much time as I would like to devote to the novel.

Starting next semester I will be "auditioning" replacements, starting with We Have Always Lived in the Castle. But my devotion to Wilde remains: my children are Brooks DORIAN and Maxwell HENRY, and my right foot will be forever tagged by Wilde's penmanship. And that's just the way I like it.

142. Gautier, Théophile. The Mummy's Foot. 48 pages. 12.20.09.

The Mummy's Foot by Théophile Gautier is a traditional and charming Gothic tale. Gautier tells the tale of an aristocratic Frenchman who purchases a mummified foot to be used as a paperweight in a curiosity shop. The foot, which is taken from Princess Hermonthis, is more than what it seems, and inspires a fantastic nocturnal journey for its new owner.