With only one day left till the glorious Halloween, let's see what are some of the classical horror books and what inspired the authors to write them!
Only 1 day till Halloween!
Books and Authors
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley (1797–1851) that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a hideous, sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18.
Shelly traveled in the region of Geneva where much of the story takes place and the topic of galvanism and occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her husband, Percy Shelley. Mary, Percy and Lord Byron decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made; her dream later evolved into the novel's story. I think Shelly won that competition for sure! However, after reading about her life and the loss she had to endure, I think the book became a sort of escape to her or a place where she put all the agony she had in the world. While I did find the book rather boring, but I did see the despair and deep agony and pain in the book.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. The work is also known as simply Jekyll & Hyde.
It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who
investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry
Jekyll,and the evil Edward Hyde. Stevenson had long been intrigued by the idea of how human personalities can affect how to incorporate the interplay of good and evil into a story. Inspiration may also have come from the writer's friendship with Edinburgh-based French teacher Eugene Chantrelle, who was convicted and executed for the murder of his wife in May 1878. Chantrelle, who had appeared to lead a normal life in the city,
poisoned his wife with opium. According to author Jeremy Hodges, Stevenson was present throughout the trial and as "the evidence
unfolded he found himself, like Dr Jekyll, 'aghast before the acts of
Edward Hyde'." Moreover, it was believed that the doctor had committed
other murders both in France and Britain by poisoning his victims at
supper parties with a favourite dish of toasted cheese and opium.
Shelly traveled in the region of Geneva where much of the story takes place and the topic of galvanism and occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her husband, Percy Shelley. Mary, Percy and Lord Byron decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made; her dream later evolved into the novel's story. I think Shelly won that competition for sure! However, after reading about her life and the loss she had to endure, I think the book became a sort of escape to her or a place where she put all the agony she had in the world. While I did find the book rather boring, but I did see the despair and deep agony and pain in the book.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a Gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, it was first published in 1820. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during Halloween because of a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a cannonball in battle.
While Irving he was an aide-de-camp to New York government, he met an army captain named Ichabod Crane in Sackets Harbor in 1814. The inspiration for the character of Katrina Van Tassel was based on an
actual young woman named Katrina Van Tassel. Washington Irving stayed
with her family for a short time, and asked permission to use her name,
and loosely base the character on her. He told her and her family he
liked to give his characters the names of people he had met.
The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Share what are you classical horror books that you love to read and who or what inspired them!
HALLOWEEN
AND
HAVE A SPOOKY READING
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