Funny Gothics

[readertim]

Do you like to read funny books? Have you read any Gothic books that have lots of funny parts? If so, which ones were they?

[GothicLover]

I like humor in Gothic romances, but of the more subtle type that does not detract from the seriousness of the plot and the romantic tension. Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels' book, Crocodile on a Sandbank, has, as I recall, a entertaining infusion of humor that is primarily character based. Her heroine is an outrageously funny person, but always serious about things at the same time. If a gothic romance gets too caught up in trying to be funny, I tend to get exasperated with it. It risks being a "fluff" novel, which I don't like. I've found that attempts at humor often cause an historical gothic to slip into present day tone/language, which I really dislike. I am now reading Dolphin Summer (1977), by Carola Salisbury, which has a humorous section as follows, set in 1897, in Gibralter, Spain, as the party is getting ready to depart for a picnic atop the Rock of Gibralter:
The day looked hot and sunny, and the sky an unblemished blue. Mindful of the exertions ahead of me (riding a donkey, not to mention riding a donkey at "vertiginous heights"), I [the heroine, a lowly companion to a rich invalid] put on a simple white blouse with not overgenerous sleeves, and a serviceable black serge skirt. For headgear: my old straw boater with its bedraggled feather....Oriana Topsham [the heroine's haughty, titled rival] was dressed as for a garden party at Buckingham Palace, as I had seen the mode in the pages of illustrated magazines, in a gown of lilac silk and white lace, with a confection of French millinery on her head that must have cost the sacrifice of a whole aviary of colored birds. Her perfect features, behind the tight veil that enclosed them, were expressionless as ever; despite which, I would have sworn that her eyes were slightly pink-rimmed, as if from weeping, and there was a slight tremor in her voice when she addressed the company.
"Good morning, Jason. Mr. Bennett. Miss--er--Trewella." She scarcely spared me a glance....
Jason [the hero] himself assisted Oriana to mount up. She looked extremely out of place, on a little black donkey in her garden-party rig-out; when I turned my face to hide a treacherous smile, I met Mellony's [the heroine's mistress] glance and she gave me a broad and extremely vulgar wink. For an awful moment, I thought she would make some outrageous comment about poor Oriana--but she changed her mind....

This is the kind of humor I truly enjoy, which stems from engaging writing.

[readertim]

I totally agree about historical gothics often being taken out of appropriate tone when humor is added. I guess comedy is so complex that it is too hard to make something funny to somebody unless you put it in a very familiar context. For some reason, I'm thinking of that kids movie Aladdin, in which Robin Williams makes a whole bunch of jokes and references about modern things, even though the movie takes place centuries ago.

[MysteryMind]

I have read books where plots or characters are so implausible that I have burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it. I can't remember if any of them were Gothics (these books were not memorable to me if they were not good), but if I run across any, I'd list them under "Gothics to avoid".

[Desdemona]

I probably wouldn't read a "funny gothic" even if I knew of one. When I read a gothic, I expect mystery, suspense, maybe horror, and melancholy. I enjoy humor in the books and a witty or funny character to lighten the mood. But a "funny gothic" would only work for me if it was a satire or spoof, maybe.

[MysteryMind]

OK. So, I've run across an older romantic suspense novel that could be classified as Gothic - "The Town Cried Murder" by Leslie Ford. The narrator is a middle-aged spinster (Miss Lucy) who tells the story as if she was talking to you right there in her parlor. Because of this informal style of narration, there are some parts that are pretty funny. The good thing about this book, though, is that the humor does not detract from the main story. There's still suspense, mystery, romance, etc. She maintains a seriousness stemming from her anxieties, and it's almost as if the narrator does not realize she's being funny. Some examples:

1: In describing one of the characters, "His head was oddly shaped, large across the skull and tapering to a pointed chin; his ears rather like an afterthought, when the proper size for his head had run low and a larger one had to be used."

2: When character above is describing the incidents surrounding the night of the murder: " 'His manner was very...belligerent. I presumed he must have been drinking.' 'As a matter of fact,' Bill Haines said placidly, 'I'd had three glasses of Miss Lucy's raspberry shrub. That stuff is mighty powerful.' A hogshead of it wouldn't discommode a fly, except for sheer bulk. I saw the Commonwealth Attorney smile a little. Mr. Luton's discreet voice went on. 'Mr. Haine's manner was equally flippant last night, sir. I had to call Mr. Seymour. He came out, and I gathered that he recognized Mr. Haines, because he said, 'Oh, it's the White Knight again.' Mr. Haines said, 'No, it's the Eagle Scout, and I'm behind on my good deed for the day. That's why I'm here - I couldn't go to bed till I'd got it done.'

There were other funny references in the book, but you have to read it to appreciate it.

[Bellatrix]

Season of Evil by Jane Gordon [1965] (it subsequently has a different title, something like "Tale of Two Hearts" but I can't recall for certain) has a lot of humorous elements in it; the main character, Bianca "Binks" Trael, is a clutz and a bit of a scatterbrain.

However, I'm not sure this book overall classes as a Gothic novel. Found it in the Gothic section but ... I think it's mainly a straight-up romance novel with a spooky cover. Actually the original artwork is terrific; dark-haired girl, gloomy day, big dark mansion with 1 lit window [it's always just one, right? lol], bare-limbed trees, bat or two fluttering around. Classic Gothic cover.

But the story doesn't seem spooky nor melancholy. It's billed on the back as "The Hateful House," the house seeming to have an almost human hatred for Bianca. That and a creepy neighbor. But so far...I see no indication of those elements. ::shrugs::