I've been spending a little time in the garden recently, which brought to mind... Nathaniel Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter is like a gothic version of The Bachelor gone horribly wrong, blending mad science, romance, and more poison than a reality TV show. Our hapless hero, Giovanni Guasconti, finds himself in a real-life botanical nightmare where the … Continue reading Toxic Romance: The Perils of Love in Rappaccini’s Garden
Category: Literature
A Romp Through the Thickets of Bambi
A short while ago, I accompanied my father to the doctor's surgery, to his appointment for pre-scan blood tests. As we settled into the waiting room, I found myself without any reading material. Glancing around, I noticed a small, unassuming book on the table: Bambi. With a mischievous grin, I picked it up and waved … Continue reading A Romp Through the Thickets of Bambi
The Razor’s Edge: A Fine Line Between Genius and the Mundane
Mundane is perhaps how I'd describe this post; it's been a strange and emotional day, with few cogs working. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge is a peculiar novel, one that teeters precariously on the fine line between profound existential inquiry and the sort of navel-gazing typically reserved for teenage diary entries. At the heart of … Continue reading The Razor’s Edge: A Fine Line Between Genius and the Mundane
Mesmerism and Mortality: Edgar Allan Poe’s Macabre Exploration in ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar’
Imagine the audacious organisers of a Hen or Stag party, gleefully arranging for a Hypnotist solely to amuse themselves at the expense of their inebriated guests, who may be compelled to cluck like chickens or strike poses reminiscent of tea pots. The absurdity of such a spectacle is almost Poe-esque in its dark humour, a … Continue reading Mesmerism and Mortality: Edgar Allan Poe’s Macabre Exploration in ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar’
The Monstrous Monk: Lewis’ Controversial Masterpiece
Matthew Gregory Lewis' The Monk is a Gothic novel that, upon its publication in 1796, caused such a ruckus that it made the scandals of 18th-century high society look like polite tea parties. Picture this: a book that combines lust, murder, and demonic pacts, all wrapped up in the not-so-holy setting of a monastery - monks behaving … Continue reading The Monstrous Monk: Lewis’ Controversial Masterpiece
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