09-14-2007, 08:18 PM
15.  "Jamaica Inn" by Daphne du Maurier--Like Mary Stewart, du Maurier's sheer literary skill earns her a second place on this list.  "Jamaica Inn" is a skillful, traditional historical Gothic, that takes a well-earned twist into a study of insanity and hatred the likes of which we rarely see so chillingly portrayed in a Gothic.  Add an uneasy conclusion where the reader doubts the heroine has a happy ending ahead of her, and you have a unique, genre-influencing Gothic.
16. "Rosemary's Baby" by Ira Levin--Supernatural Gothic that has all the trappings of a traditional one: spooky apartment building, bride who doesn't know her husband as well as she should, creepy neighbors. Always modern and brisk, "Rosemary's Baby" packs a wallop at the end. It may not seem like a traditional Gothic romance, but if you think about it, you'll realize Levin follows the format brilliantly--until the end.
16. "Rosemary's Baby" by Ira Levin--Supernatural Gothic that has all the trappings of a traditional one: spooky apartment building, bride who doesn't know her husband as well as she should, creepy neighbors. Always modern and brisk, "Rosemary's Baby" packs a wallop at the end. It may not seem like a traditional Gothic romance, but if you think about it, you'll realize Levin follows the format brilliantly--until the end.
