Crumbling abbeys, usurped castles, secret crypts, graveyards, antiquated ruins, haunted by the sins of the past.

Welcome to the Gothic.

And we're talking about Gothic literature today as the rain crashes down outside and the chill days begin to darken.

Because the spooky season is upon us.

And there are many readers who will be spending Halloween weekend this year,

immersing themselves in some classics of horror and gothic literature.

One of my old favourites that I've personally been fervently thumbing through recently is Bram Stokers,

sensational, blood-soaked and incredibly influential 1897 vampire story, Dracula.

And so today I would like to talk to you about the Gothic and frame our discussion as an

entrance into this classic, because a background understanding of the Gothic form

leads to a greater appreciation of this quintessential horror novel. So you might find it useful to consider

this discussion as an introduction to the work and if you would like to go deep into the text specifically,

then in addition to a video version of today's discussion,

we have a guided read-through and long-form lecture series

on Bram Stoker's Dracula over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club

at patreon.com forward slash hardcore literature.

Now, when it comes to influential works of horror literature and gothic literature,

there are two works that reigns supreme. They are Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and

Bram Stoker's Dracula. And when it comes to Dracula,

the proliferation of film adaptations, the flourishing of stage spin-offs and television serials, the fact that we have

thousands of inspired narratives, narratives inspired by the vampire myth and what

Bram Stoker did with that myth, this profusion of narratives really speaks to the vampire being an

...