Gothic literature was born in 18th-century Europe within the broader spirit of Romanticism. It combines elements of horror, the uncanny and the supernatural, with the aesthetics of Gothic architecture playing a dominant role—hence the name of the genre. Notably, many significant female writers contributed to this literary movement. The genre experienced a resurgence in the 19th century and has continued to evolve into the 20th century and even today.
Here, however, we present two early characteristic works—perhaps forgotten today—that left their mark on the genre’s formative period: “The Old English Baron” (1777) and “The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1794), written by British authors Clara Reeve and Ann Radcliffe, respectively.
The charming pocket-sized edition of Reeve’s work also includes “The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole, which is considered the first Gothic novel and served as the inspiration for “The Old English Baron”.
The relatively compact edition of Radcliffe’s novel is even more intriguing, as it is a rare Greek translation published in Smyrna in 1852.
