Late in the 18th century authors began to write Gothic stories as a way of putting literature back in touch with the irrational, the supernatural and the bizarre, which had been neglected in the Age of Reason,This superb new collection brings together stories from the earliest decades of Gothic writing with later 19th and early 20th century tales from the period n which Gothic diversified into the familiar forrns of the ghost- and horror-story.

The Notes that appear at the end of this volume give brief background information on the individual stories and their authors, plus,where necessary, some explanatory glosses on specific difficulties or allusions in the texts. Discussions of the tales occur in the Introduction below, but since they will certainly give too much away forthose who want to experience some of the stories power to surprise,shock and disconcert, readers are especially advised to follow the generic advice of Keith Carabine in his General Introduction above.

General Introduction

Foreword

Introduction

Select Bibliography

ANNA LETITIA AIKIN

Sir Bertrand: A Fragment (1773)

NATHAN DRAKE & AN ANONYMOUS HAND

Captive of the Banditti (1801)

ANONYMOUS

Extracts from Gosschens Diary: No. I (1818)

CHARLES ROBERT MATURIN

The Parricides Tale (1820)

ANONYMOUS

The Spectre Bride (1822)

SIR WALTER SCOTT

The Tapestried Chamber (1829)

EDGAR ALLAN POE

Berenice (1835)

CHARLES DICKENS

A Madmans Manuscript (1836)

Strange Event in the Lift of Schalken the Painter (1839)

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

Ethan Brand (1850)

ELIZABETH GASKELL

The Old Nurses Story (1852)

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

The Body-Snatcher (1885)

CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN

The Yellow Wallpaper (1892)

AMBROSE BIERCE

The Death of Halpin Frayser (1893)

M. R. JAMES

Canon Alberic s Scrapbook (1894)

RALPH ADAMS CRAM

No. 2y2 Rue M. le Prince (1895)

S. CARLETON

The Lame Priest (1901)

MARY WILKINS FREEMAN

Luella Miller (1902)

RICHARD MIDDLETON

The Bird in the Garden (1912)

E. F. BENSON

The Room in the Tower (1912)

Notes on Authors and Stories