09-29-2008, 01:23 AM
MysteryMind Wrote:Having lived in New England and being awed by the setting there, I love reading American gothic novels set in New England. I prefer them to be historical, but if it is contemporary from the 50s-60s I enjoy them also. Although I love the New England of today, it does not have the same atmosphere as it would in the past. Much of New England is rural and the feeling of isolation lends itself to an eeriness that you can’t get in a major metropolitan area. I think too much technology destroys the suspense sustained when the characters are unsure of what is happening around them.
It occurs to me that an old lighthouse on the coast of Maine might make a suitable locale for a gothic. I'd be surprised if it hasn't been done already.
There must be lots of old houses lost out in the country in New England that would lend themselves to stories, especially during the winter when their isolation is even more pronounced.
Another idea -- islands off the coast. Somehow it seems more believable that some eccentric long ago might have built a European-style castle on a dramatic island setting than on the mainland of the States. Besides, islands are fun because they feel removed from the world, more make-believe.