David Blair (5) (1950–)

Wordsworth Classics are generally very good value. This is no exception - a collection of twenty gothic short stories from the second half of the eighteenth century through to the Edwardian era.

What is interesting about the collection is that David Blair has usefully compared and contrasted the English and American approaches with an eye to illustrating his fine introduction.

He also introduces us to American by-ways that I had not known before - alongside Poe, Gilman and Bierce are three show more tales by 'minor' writers from the turn of the last century that are of considerable interest .

However, it is important not to read the Introduction first (there is a warning to that effect at the beginning). Blair's analysis, including the sexual and gender themes, comes alive from its reference back to the readings.

Blair has not always chosen the obvious Gothic master tales. Although there are some familiar stories in here, each has been carefully chosen to illustrate his introductory themes, a process that only becomes clear when he has tied them together analytically.

Normally, one avoids spoilers on stories but here I think one should avoid spoilers on the analysis and insights. So I shall say no more ... show less

Our university professor book club usually chooses short story collections we can read together so members who miss a discussion don't feel "behind" when the next meeting rolls around. We began reading this in the spring semester, but we postponed many sessions, resulting in a continuation into the fall semester.

This Gothic short story collection gave us a feel for the development of the genre. Our leader is an English professor who asks great questions that provide a lot of discussion. One show more professor wrote his dissertation on the Gothic. Many members like the Gothic but each prefers a different style or element. This collection provided at least one or two stories each of us enjoyed at a surface reading, but the discussions made us understand and enjoy most of the rest.

The collection includes:
"Sir Bertrand: A Fragment" by Anna Letitia Aikin
"Captive of the Banditti" by Nathan Drake and an Anonymous Hand
"Extracts from Gosschen's Diary: No. 1" by Anonymous
"The Parricide's Tale" by Charles Robert Maturin
"The Spectre Bride" by Anonymous
"The Tapestried Chamber" by Sir Walter Scott
"Berenice" by Edgar Allan Poe
"The Madman's Manuscript" by Charles Dickens
"Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter" by J. S. le Fanu
"Ethan Brand: A Chapter from an Abortive Romance" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
"The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell
"The Body-Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Stetson
"The Death of Halpin Frayser" by Ambrose Bierce
"Canon Alberic's Scrapbook" by M. R. James
"No. 252 Rue M. le Prince [1]" by Ralph Adams Cram
"The Lame Priest" by S. Carleton
"Luella Miller" by Mary Wilkins Freeman
"The Bird in the Garden" by Richard Middleton
"The Room in the Tower" by E. F. Benson

My favorite was "The Yellow Wallpaper," mainly because of the interesting discussion it generated, and my least favorite was "The Bird in the Garden," which was short and seemingly less Gothic than most. show less