Being a Tolkien fan for so long, and someone who has been studying his works, one of my desires was to participate in one of the most important Tolkien fandom (and scholars) events created and organized by the Tolkien Society based in the UK. As I live far away, in Chile, and travelling is not…
Tag: Literature
Understanding Monsters: How Monstrosity is Constructed
Today, 30th of August in 1797 Mary Shelley (Mary Godwin Wollstonecraft) was born. She gave us one of the most beautiful and important books ever written: Frankenstein. This month Generally Gothic hosted a discussion on Monstrosity (if you have not heard about her website please visit and see by yourself how interesting, well researched and…
The Uncanny as a Source of Horror in “The Vampyre”
In previous posts, we have been revising the concepts of horror and terror, this time we are going to review those concepts in a literary text. My suggestion was to read The Vampyre, a tale written by John William Polidori. ✶ John Polidori John Polidori was Lord Byron’s doctor. Polidori started to write The Vampyre…
The Lord of The Rings 66th Aniversary: 10 Things you might have not known about J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel
Today 29 June in 1954 the first volume of The Lord of the Rings was published. Happy 66th book anniversary to such an amazing novel! To celebrate, I have written this post, but I invite you to join the biggest celebration regarding J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, which takes place in September this year. To…
The Shadowy Boundary Between Terror and Horror
In the previous post, we discussed how terror and horror could function as devices for producing the sublime. But we may wonder if there is any difference between terror and horror. Today we are going to check that out by reviewing one of the most important essays on this topic that was written by Ann…
In Search of Terror and Horror in The Sublime
Have you ever wondered why when reading a gothic novel you constantly find the words terror and horror? But what these words refer to? Believe it or not, these two concepts are also fundamental for understanding the role that nature has played in literature. Let’s take a walk in this mysterious path, in this entry…
Seven Books to Get Lost in Nature during Lockdown
One of my biggest concern during these days at home without having the possibility of going out for a walk is missing the trees, the flowers, the birds singing, and missing the seasons and how they change. I need nature in my life to work properly. I understand that we cannot go out for a…
In Search of the Gothic in Wildfell Hall
I have written this little entry to commemorate Anne Brontë’s death, who passed away on a 28th of May in 1849 but will live forever inside her reader’s hearts. My main focus is to explore how the gothic is present in her novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I have written a review without spoilers…
Tolkien Reading Day 2020: Nature and Machinery in the Creation Middle Earth
Note: If you are not very familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, don’t worry. You can read this entry without any problems, for I am providing some explanations to help you. This year’s Middle Earth March, it is called that way because the One Ring was finally destroyed on March 25th in Tolkien’s narrative,…
The Gothic
“To a warm imagination, the dubious forms that float half-veiled in darkness, afford a higher delight than the most distinct scenery that the sun can shown”. – Ann Radcliffe. The Mysteries of Udolpho. 1794 What is gothic? Is it a literary genre? A style? An intellectual movement? There are so many questions and maybe we…
