This is a recording of a talk called 'Shades of the Evening: The Victorian Gothic Short Story' by June Lawrence which was recorded on 14th March 2023.
Gothic stories have come in and out of fashion since their origins in the late eighteenth century. This talk, by June Lawrence (who leads the Victorian Society’s short story reading group), will look at some of the writers producing short gothic fiction in the second wave of interest, during the latter part of the Victorian era.
Controversy has always surrounded gothic literature and this relates as much to establishing definitions of the form, as to the content of the material itself. To better understand elements generally considered to be characteristic of the form, we need to survey their sources, because just as the past often returns to pervade individual stories, so do components from the genre’s history make reappearances. This talk will therefore briefly summarise the roots of the gothic story and the impact that seminal early works and classic novels of the genre have contributed along the way.
It can be argued that the short story is the best platform for these works, as the lack of space to fully explain maintains a high level of mystery within each story and ensures it will be memorable long after it has been read.
After booking a ticket, you will be given access to the recording of the event. Please ignore the event date in the listings.
