The exhibition begins with the castle of otranto, by walpole, the original british gothic novel written in the 18 th century, and works its way through the romantics, the influence of gothic on jane austen, the brontes, victorian sensationalism, dickens and robert louis stevenson, dracula and the history of vampires, hammer horror and modern gothic, and. The gothic imagination 3 october 2014 20 january 2015. Terror and wonder, an exploration of the history of the gothic, is a mixture of the fascinating and slightly dry, says sameer rahim. Discover the uks biggest ever gothic exhibition at the british library from 3 oct 2014 to 20 jan 2015. From walpole, one moves through the early nineteenth century explosion of gothic literature including on display of the seven horrid novels referenced in jane austens sendup of the gothic, northhanger abbey to a display dedicated to mary shelleys frankenstein. British library, london this perversely enlightening exhibition of gothic ephemera, from sadean dresses to possessed ventriloquists, is not so. Jan 08, 2015 read publicises the research conducted by the department of english studies at durham university. Despite the gothic trend fading in and out of vogue through the years, this exhibit shows how the gothic imagination has endured and resurfaced time and time again from its 18 th century beginnings, to victorian monstrosity and degeneracy, to modern horror films and fashion the gothic still has a strong hold over subculture, the. Gothic literature was born 250 years ago with the publication of horace walpoles the castle of otranto. The allure of gothic terror was overtaken somewhat by the french revolution, in which tales of blood dripping down the walls of aristocratic domains were no longer the stuff. Gothic literature began as a challenge to the rational certainties of the enlightenment. Catherine spooner, twentieth century gothic in terror and wonder.
Conversations on fantasy, horror, and science fiction in the media. Yes, thanks for that houseful a couple of things id like to catch. Marking the 250th anniversary of horace walpoles 1764 gothic novel the castle of otranto, the show explores the influence of the literary genre on our cultural imagination. The gothic imagination, british library shlock, horror and shrieks. The exhibition includes a vampire slaying kit and 18th and 19th century gothic fashions, as well as one of.
Adaptation alfred hitchcock baby face 1933 barbara stanwyck bette davis bfi bluebeard charles dickens costume dirk bogarde film gaslight 1940 gaslight 1944 genre george cukor gothic gothic feminism conference gulbenkian cinema hollywood horror hunted 1952 joan crawford links literature maternal melodrama melodrama music news normma of. The origins of gothic fiction can be attributed to horace walpoles camp horrorromancethriller, the castle of otranto, in which walpole established many of the genres enduring themes including the medieval setting and supernatural events. First given fictional expression in horace walpole s the castle of otranto in 1764, the gothic mode has continued to haunt literature, fine art, music, film, and fashion ever since its heyday in britain in the 1790s. The british library will celebrate 250 years of gothic literature by staging terror and wonder. Oct 31, 2014 from walpole, one moves through the early nineteenth century explosion of gothic literature including on display of the seven horrid novels referenced in jane austens sendup of the gothic, northhanger abbey to a display dedicated to mary shelleys frankenstein. The gothic imagination by joseph turp photography on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. The gothic imagination runs at the british library, london until 20 january 2015. First we visited the british library near st pancras to view the exhibition, terror and wonder. The offered definition is so vague that is might encompass almost anything. Oct 19, 2014 the exhibition begins with the castle of otranto, by walpole, the original british gothic novel written in the 18 th century, and works its way through the romantics, the influence of gothic on jane austen, the brontes, victorian sensationalism, dickens and robert louis stevenson, dracula and the history of vampires, hammer horror and modern gothic, and finishes with an exhibition of photos by. Oct 03, 2014 this exhibition of gothic ephemera, from sadean dresses to possessed ventriloquists, is not so much about art as it is an inquiry into the liberation of the mind.
Gothic literature fascinates millions of people, including me. Oct 15, 2014 the lighting was good, the colour scheme effective an attractive strawberry hill appropriate blue leading into sepulchral black, a nice juicy crimson, and finally a stark white, all of which helped mark different developments in our gothic imagination and effective film and audio clips. So it was with great delight that, last week, i had an opportunity. Image from tales of mystery and imagination by edgar allen poe, illustrated by harry clarke, 1928 details. The gothic imagination, the most comprehensive show on the subject yet seen in the uk. The gothic imagination where two hundred rare objects trace 250 years of the gothic tradition, exploring our enduring fascination. Horror author lee mcgeorge after visiting terror and wonder. Books, films and places referenced in this book of original essays by scholars of the gothic, made by the british library to accompany their exhibition, which explores our enduring fascination with the mysterious, the terrifying and the aweinspiring from its heyday in britain in the 1790s into the present day.
The gothic imagination was a huge success for the british library, exceeding target ticket sales by more than 18% and attracting almost 60,000. Read publicises the research conducted by the department of english studies at durham university. The gothic imagination an epic tour through the dark corners of desire 4 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars. Tales of terror by matthew lewis, published 1808, on display in terror and wonder photography british library board its curious that a celebration of the gothic imagination should take place in the modernistorientalist terracotta fortress of the british library. The gothic imagination, which has just opened at the british library. The gothic imagination instantly as we walk into the space, we are greeted with the inevitable black walls and a haunting medieval soundtrack. Oct 03, 2014 the narrative devices coined by walpole are now considered definitively gothic. The narrative devices coined by walpole are now considered definitively gothic. The gothic imagination, that dark predilection for. Its curious that a celebration of the gothic imagination should take place in the modernistorientalist terracotta fortress of the british library. After all, just next door looms the st pancras hotel, complete with enough pointed arches and foliated windowframes to keep even the most jaded gothic revivalist happy. Much of it is not too far distant from some types of crime fiction, and theres a gothic influence on some of my short stories, as well as on some aspects of one or two of my novels including my current workinprogress, the dungeon house. Dracula, frankenstein and the ripper gothic comes to the. Workshops will take place on selected dates from 3 october 2014 until 20 january 2015.
Nov 02, 2014 as the oranges and browns of october make way for increasingly chilly and dark november, it seems that these first days of the years penultimate month are characterised by the sense of anticlimax which inevitably results from the buildup to that most frightening of seasonal holidays, halloween either that or the aftereffects of one too. The exhibition traces the evolution of the gothic sensibility, and its cultural transformation, from 1764 to the present day. Fortunately, the british library, in partnership with bbc 2 and bbc 4, will be celebrating all things gothic this autumn with a series of exciting programmes exploring the literature, art, architecture and. Oct 18, 2014 this year marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of horace walpoles s the castle of otranto, and the british library celebrates with an exhibition exploring the the relationship between the gothic and the british imagination up to the present. Make the most of the exhibition by taking part in one of our accompanying free workshops for. Oct 27, 2014 as an overview of the gothic genre, in all its forms and fantastical expressions, there are occasional leaps in the curation of the exhibit that seem either underexplained or overambitious, leaving the viewer to fill in the gaps. As the oranges and browns of october make way for increasingly chilly and dark november, it seems that these first days of the years penultimate month are characterised by the sense of anticlimax which inevitably results from the buildup to that most frightening of seasonal holidays, halloween either that or the aftereffects of one too many at spooky. May 29, 2015 the gothic imagination, that dark predilection for horrors and terrors, spectres and sprites, occupies a prominent place in contemporary western culture.
Jan 03, 2015 despite the gothic trend fading in and out of vogue through the years, this exhibit shows how the gothic imagination has endured and resurfaced time and time again from its 18 th century beginnings, to victorian monstrosity and degeneracy, to modern horror films and fashion the gothic still has a strong hold over subculture, the. Conversations on fantasy, horror, and science fiction in the media tibbetts, john c. May 15, 2015 the gothic imagination, that dark predilection for horrors and terrors, specters and sprites, occupies a prominent place in contemporary western culture. First given fictional expression in horace walpoles the castle of otranto in 1764, the gothic mode has continued to haunt literature, fine art, music, film, and fashion ever since its. Via londresterror and wonder the gothic imagination. Oct 03, 2014 gothic literature was born 250 years ago with the publication of horace walpoles the castle of otranto. From mary shelley and bram stoker to stanley kubrick and alexander mcqueen, via posters, books, film and even a vampireslaying kit, experience the dark shadow the gothic imagination has cast across film, art, music, fashion, architecture and our daily lives. A new british library exhibition is a penumbral dungeon of the warped, the perverse and the. The lighting was good, the colour scheme effective an attractive strawberry hill appropriate blue leading into sepulchral black, a nice juicy crimson, and finally a stark white, all of which helped mark different developments in our gothic imagination.
As the subtitle of this british library blockbuster suggests, the gothic imagination has not been solely confined to literature, but has proved to be a pervasive cultural influence across film, fine art, comics, and fashion. Dark and mysterious fine art prints from and relating to the british librarys exhibition terror and wonder. I can feel diffident posting about exhibitions that some of you might not be able to visit like terror and wonder. Another crowdpleaser of an exhibition at the british library. True to the gothic tradition, the british librarys most recent exhibition on gothic culture can be seen as a theatrical experience. First given fictional expression in horace walpoles the castle of otranto of 1764, the gothic mode has continued to haunt literature, fine art, music, film, and fashion ever since its heyday. Gothic architecture is characterised by arches, vaults and the extravagant flying buttress and london is a city rich in gothic buildings, the most famous of which is perhaps westminster abbey. Oct 03, 2014 from mary shelley and bram stoker to stanley kubrick and alexander mcqueen, via posters, books, film and even a vampireslaying kit, experience the dark shadow the gothic imagination has cast across film, art, music, fashion, architecture and our daily lives.
On display are posters, books, films and even a vampireslaying kit demonstrating the dark shadow the gothic imagination has cast across film. Dale townshend, senior lecturer in gothic and romantic literature at the university of stirling, edited and introduces the accompanying book, which contains original essays by major scholars of the gothic alongside images of 150 objects from the exhibition. I take it the dracula is the hammer one with cushing and lee imdb seems to be being particularly obtuse this afternoon, cant find it havent seen that in years ill look. Oct 09, 2014 marking the 250th anniversary of horace walpoles 1764 gothic novel the castle of otranto, the show explores the influence of the literary genre on our cultural imagination since then. The biggest disappointment for me was a weak definition of gothic since the entire book is supposed to be arguing that the genres of science fiction, horror, and fantasy all have gothic elements or are drawn from gothic traditions. Terror and wonder, which accompanies a major exhibition at the british library, is a collection of essays that trace the numerous meanings and manifestations of the gothic across time, tracking its prominent shifts and mutations from its 18thcentury origins, through the victorian period, and into the present day. Aug 19, 2014 for those in the uk, the bbc gothic season in partnership with the british museum to tie in with their gothic exhibition starts on monday october 20th on bbc4 with the art of gothic, with the family that built gothic britain following on tuesday oct 21st. However the description gothic was originally meant as a form of insult, suggested by the italian writer vasari to describe a barbarous german.
In that schlocky tale, the son of the aristocratic manfred is killed by a falling helmet. Fraser riddell is a doctoral candidate in the department of english studies at durham university. Oct 03, 2014 another crowdpleaser of an exhibition at the british library. The gothic imagination exhibit at the british library. A spate of gothic novels followed in the 178090s, the most famous of which was ann radcliffes the mysteries of udolpho. The gothic imagination the gothic imagination, that dark predilection for horrors and terrors, spectres and sprites, occupies a prominent place in contemporary western culture. This exhibition of gothic ephemera, from sadean dresses to possessed ventriloquists, is not so much about art as it is an inquiry into the liberation of the mind. As the subtitle of this british library blockbuster suggests, the gothic imagination has not been solely confined to literature, but. The gothic imagination with its love of the aweinspiring, the wondrous and the uncanny has cast long and beautiful shadows across all aspects of our lives for hundreds of years. Terror and wonder the gothic imagination at the british. First given fictional expression in horace walpoles the castle of otranto of 1764, the gothic mode has continued to haunt literature, fine art, music, film and fashion ever since its heyday in britain in the 1790s.
This exhibition celebrates the genre in britain in the years since walpoles novel. The gothic imagination by tim pye, tanya kirk and greg buzwell comments this major new exhibition at the british library explores gothic cultures roots in british literature and celebrates 250 years since the publication of the first gothic novel, horace walpoles the castle of otranto. In that schlocky tale, the son of the aristocratic manfred is. The gothic imagination, that dark predilection for horrors and terrors, specters and sprites, occupies a prominent place in contemporary western culture. The exhibition includes a vampire slaying kit and 18th and 19th century gothic fashions, as well as one of alexander mcqueens iconic catwalk creations. The gothic imagination page 6 show list info books, films and places referenced in this book of original essays by scholars of the gothic, made by the british library to accompany their exhibition, which explores our enduring fascination with the mysterious, the terrifying and the aweinspiring from its heyday in britain in the 1790s into the present day. The gothic imagination, that dark predilection for horrors and terrors, spectres and sprites, occupies a prominent place in contemporary western culture. The gothic imagination opens at the british library exploring gothic cultures roots in british literature and celebrating 250 years since the publication of the first gothic novel. The gothic imagination show list info books, films and places referenced in this book of original essays by scholars of the gothic, made by the british library to accompany their exhibition, which explores our enduring fascination with the mysterious, the terrifying and the aweinspiring from its heyday in britain in the 1790s into the present day. This major new exhibition at the british library explores gothic cultures roots in british literature and celebrates 250 years since the publication of the first gothic novel, horace walpoles the castle of otranto. From mary shelley and bram stoker to stanley kubrick and alexander mcqueen, via posters, books, films and even a vampireslaying kit experience the dark shadow the gothic imagination has cast across film, art, music, fashion, architecture and our daily lives.