October's Gothic Literature Study

October is full of spooky things, but we don't do spooky at my house. As spooky as we get is doing a 6-week gothic literature study.

We read Frankenstein and we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that spooky and as a family we enjoyed the story that inspired many in-depth conversations. Spoiler Alter: The monster is nothing like our culture depicts him.

Next, I tried to read Dracula before starting it with my kiddos, but it was much too creepy for my taste. Maybe we will try again next year, or maybe we will just skip Dracula altogether.

We're keeping track of all the gothic literature we've read on our Color the Classic Gothic Literature Bookshelf.

If you're interested in getting a copy of this gothic literature bookshelf (or the Classics, Classic Banned Books, Classic Young Adult, and Books by Women that are all bundled together) click here: Color the Classics | Themed Bookshelves | A Bookish Challenge for Teens & Adults | Wild Sprigs | TpT

I'd love to hear any recommendations you have for a not-so-spooky classic gothic lit tale!

If you are interested in purchasing any of the books included in this gothic literature bookshelf, check out the list below:

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning

The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

Spellbound by Emily Bronte

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 

The Haunted Palace Edgar Allan Poe

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Conner

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Cold Earth Slept Below by Percy Shelley

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble by William Shakespeare

The Specter Bridegroom by Washington Irving

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe

Lady Lazarus by Silvia Plath

The Mask of Red Death by Edar Allan Poe

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

I've bolded the gothic tales we read during our 2023 gothic literature study. Next October we will pick up where we left off.

Note: I've provided links to some of the items mentioned in this post and these are things, (or similar items) that I have used and enjoyed. If you choose to purchase these items from Amazon, that's great, but just know that I do not expect you do. I buy most of my items second-hand and I hope you can do the same. I've included links to certain items so you can gather more information about the products I'm referring to or you may purchase them new if you wish. Rest assured; I do not earn any commission from your purchases on Amazon for the items I've provided links to.