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+--- Thread: Behind a Mask - Louisa May Alcott (/showthread.php?tid=624)
Behind a Mask - Louisa May Alcott - tamtam - 01-01-2010
This was a collection of short stories along the veins of gothic thrillers by Louisa May Alcott. The stories include: Behind a Mask, or A Woman's Power; Pauline's Passion and Punishment; The Mysterious Key and What It Opened; and The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation.
The stories are very different from those of today, and they were different from the very early gothics. However, her style was very reminiscent of Walpole's and Barton's (at least for me). It was as if she took their themes and set them in contemporary times rather than medieval (contemporary to Alcott's time).
A big difference is in her heroine. The early heroines were virtuous, but quite insipid. More modern writers, even writing historical gothics, tend to impart more strength to their heroines. But Alcott's heroines were aggressive and sometimes had a streak of malice. This was especially true in the first two stories.
Alcott's stories focused more on plot and characterization than setting, but all the stories with the exception of Pauline's Passion and Punishment, were set in old mansions.
For something a bit different, I'd recommend giving her a try.