Last week I posted about Gothic novels (see post here)- my particular genre of choice for the brumous days of October. Okay, so the days here in Tennessee haven’t been exactly brumous, but I’m a writer- as A Knight’s Tale’s Chaucer said, “I give the truth scope.” Writing the post served to fuel my desire for all things Gothic and over the weekend, I hunkered down to do some reading. Truly. I surrounded myself with all the hardback novels I’ve collected over the years and engrossed myself in the Gothic annals of Victoria Holt, Madeleine Brent, Daphne DuMaurier, Barbara Michaels, and many more. I especially loved re-visiting the Holt’s. The faint mustiness of the pages, coupled with the yellow tinge the paper possesses, made this bibliophile’s heart very happy indeed.

I reveled in the atmosphere of these books. I quaked with brimming uncertainty in my Uggs through the suspense and intrigue. I laughed in those moments when the tension needed release. I smiled at the triumphs and joys of requited love and fulfilled truths. AND… I collected several lines to share with you, for, as Oscar Wilde’s Lord Goring said, “I always pass on good advice. It is the only sensible thing to do with it.” While these lines might not be advice by any stretch of the imagination, they do deserve to be passed on, for they are either beautiful writing or captivating sentiment. 

Just as in the quote above regarding Manderley- the ancestral home of Max de Winter in DuMaurier’s Rebecca- houses in Gothics seem to possess a spirit all their own, a personification of persons who have lived and died with their walls. 

How deliciously thrilling, not to mention, chock full of foreboding. Premonitions, dreams, visions, spiritual foreshadowings… they abound in Gothics. They are the eerie thread woven into the fabric of the plot that provides a constant sense of unease throughout the whole read. This is a trope I adore- so much, in fact, that I weave something similar into the plot of my second novel, that one on which I’m working right now.

Along with the suspense and supernatural, all augmented by the atmospheric, comes the romantic tension. Gothic romances are a thing unto themselves, and, I confess, I thoroughly enjoy the tension found therein. I particularly like the men. (I don’t know how I would react to them in real life, but I endure them most amiably on the page.)

And, since nearly every Gothic I’ve ever read has at least one of these, I give you the minstrels’ gallery.

As to the tapestries I mentioned last week, I’ll just have to quote Indiana Jones on that one: "This is a castle, isn’t it? There ARE tapestries." Trust me, you’ll read about tapestries. 

These last two quotes remind me of the Never, Never, Never Settle post I wrote several weeks back. It appears, even whilst reading my popcorn literature, I can’t escape this ‘out of your comfort zone’ theme.

And there you have it, dear readers: the atmosphere, the drama, the suspense, the romance, the minstrels’ gallery, AND the moments of profound thought that surprise a body because truth is found anywhere you look for it. 

Do you have any quotes that evoke potent, thrilling atmosphere to mind? What about quotes dealing with romantic tension? Or fear? Would you consider said quotes Gothic in nature? They can be from anywhere: novels, poems, movies, lyrics… Please share. I would love to hear them.