Five Gothic Literature Classics You MUST Read

Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.

Spooky Season is here! Fall is here! I have reached my final form. You can find me enjoying a cozy Halloween film or some glorious Gothic lit. Speaking of Gothic lit, that’s what today’s post is about.

The best time of year is here!!

I believe everyone should read the classic Gothic novels. Dracula and Frankenstein are for sure books you must read once in your life. But Gothic lit is much more than those two heavy hitters. The genre has many classic titles. Which is why today I want to list five Gothic titles, five Gothic classics, I believe everyone should read once in their life. I’m not going to list the top five most famous Gothic novels; though some books on this list are very well known and make it on the 100 Books You Should Read Before You Die lists. I want to list books I believe deserve more love from the general public, some modern titles that need to go on the 100 Books You Should Read Before You Die lists, and all of them are gonna be my beloved Gothic lit. Now let’s get to the list!

5. My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen is kicking off this list. Releasing in 2024, this is the youngest book on this list, but I’m already calling it a classic. I wrote a review on this one earlier this year so I highly recommend giving that a read after this. I truly believe My Darling Dreadful Thing is going to go down in history as a Gothic classic. So I may as well start calling it one now cause it truly deserves it.

4. Coming in at number four is Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Should you read everything written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia? Yes, yes you should. But start with Mexican Gothic as it’s amazing and deserves to be lauded. Mexican Gothic came out in 2020 and is another contemporary book that will be considered a classic in the future. So again, let’s start calling it one now!

3. Next up is We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I do believe it would be remise if I didn’t include a story by Shirley Jackson on this list. She really is one of the Queens of Gothic literature. While The Haunting of Hill House is my favorite of her books, I have to add We Have Always Lived in the Castle to this list instead. The mystery this story has is top tier. I adore Merricat and Constance. The unreliable narration is perfection. Honestly, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a perfect example of Gothic lit and we need to talk about it more. Also, Mike Flanagan, We Have Always Lived in the Castle mini-series when? 

2. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux comes in at number two. Perhaps the most well-known title on this list, and to be quite honest, it’s inclusion today is primarily due to me hyper-focusing on anything The Phantom of the Opera this year. I personally view The Phantom of the Opera as one of the big five Gothic Literature classics; the other four being Dracula, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Portrait of Dorian Gray in that order. I just think The Phantom of the Opera novel gets a little overshadowed by other classic titles and that saddens me. You should read The Phantom of the Opera for the Phantom’s melodrama if nothing else.

1. Finally, in the number one spot, we have The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter. I read this book in college and it altered my brain chemistry. A collection of feminist fairy tale retellings, this book is not only feminist but it’s dark, really fucking wild at times, and quite often surreal; how can I not mention it in today’s post!?

Thus endeth our list! A special mention goes to The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. It’s peak Gothic literature, a beautiful ghost story and haunted house tale, but I could only choose five titles for today’s list. I had a hard time deciding the final title, and The Woman in Black just missed the cut, but I also implore everyone to read it.

Thank you very much for joining me today, Book Nerds. I hope you found some glorious Gothic lit to read and enjoy this Spooky Season. Or really any time of the year. I hope to see you all again next week as we continue to celebrate Spooky Season with a new review. If you can’t wait that long then I highly suggest giving Reading Has Ruined My Life a follow over on Instagram (@ReadingHasRuinedMyLife). I post there almost daily so come back often to revel in literary goodness. You can also follow the blog on Twitter and BlueSky (@RHRMLBlog). If you want something not related to books then check out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. It stars me and two of my dearest friends and we talk anything and everything. I’ve curated many an episode to enjoy during Spooky Season. My favorite is the bonkers story of the Highgate Vampire. You can listen to the show on Spotify and YouTube.

Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.

See y'all then, bye!