Name: Gothic Tales
ISBN: 9780140437416

Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell's chilling Gothic tales blend the real and the supernatural to eerie, compelling effect. 'Disappearances', inspired by local legends of mysterious vanishings, mixes gossip and fact; 'Lois the Witch', a novella based on an account of the Salem witch hunts, shows how sexual desire and jealousy lead to hysteria; while in 'The Old Nurse's Story' a mysterious child roams the freezing Northumberland moors. Whether darkly surreal, such as 'The Poor Clare', where an evil doppelgänger is formed by a woman's bitter curse, or mischievous like 'Curious, if True', a playful reworking of fairy tales, all the stories in this volume form a stark contrast to the social realism of Gaskell's novels, revealing a darker and more unsettling style of writing.

Gothic Tales

Charlotte Rayfield

Gaskell is one of the most accessible Victorian writers and my favorite women I’d read so far.

Wen Asuncion

This is the first book of short stories that I devoured whole. I'm not one who finishes an anthology of short stories. Every stories on this one turned out to be so great, it would be a sin not to read and like all! Disapperances is so funny, I had a good laugh. Old Nurse's Story scared me the most, and what a tragedy! I didn't care much for The Squire's Story, but it should be a cautionary tale for parents not to marry off their children to just anyone who is "rich". And oh! The Poor Clare! I feel so sorry for Bridget, it's a good things that she was able to forgive at the end. Then, there's Doom for the Griffiths, which reminds me to be more communicative to my parents to prevent any misunderstanding. I mean, if they had just talked about their feelings, bad things could have been avoided from happening. But maybe, they're doomed from the beggining.

And oh! I love love Lois the Witch! I want to read more on Salem trials. I just noticed that her cousins' names are Faith and Prudence, which they are not. I abhor them!

The Crooked Branch is a story of an ungrateful child. Why do people like that exist? Anyway, I did not understand what what happening on Curious, if True.

And lastly, The Grey Woman. It's a story of women bravery and endurance. But why does she have to go through all that? Why can't be husbands just be good?

That sums up my thoughts on Gothic Tales. 
Will definitely hunt for books like this one.