A little about what you can expect from the Le Salon Literary Discussion's podcast.

Meet your host, Marisa, and learn about the French salon tradition this bookish business is based on. I am all about providing resources—from virtual discussions to breaking down literary theory—that enhance what it is you're reading. It's educational tidbits without the tuition!

Each podcast series will be on a specific theme and launched seasonally. This way we'll dive into different writers, books, genres, and more—all in 30 minutes or less.

More resources for you:

• See what books are on the virtual literary salon schedule.
• Follow me on Instagram @lesalonreads.
• Follow me on Twitter @lesalonreads.
• Visit my website.

Diving right into Spooky Season by tracing the history of the English Gothic novel. In this first episode of the series, we discuss where the term "Gothic" came from and how it moved from architecture to literature in England in the late eighteenth century. We then trace the evolution of the English Gothic novel from 1764 up until the beginning of the 20th century by looking at the tropes that define the genre and, of course, a mention of Freud.

[3:45] "For historical context, English Gothic literature emerged at a time of political, economic, and social upheaval."

[10:26] "Gothic [found] itself relegated to the popular and trashy realm of cheap, formulaic fiction."

[15:00] "But what Freud also provided was a springboard of sorts for the Gothic to travel across the Atlantic."

Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• Pamela by Samuel Richardson
• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson's
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Edgar Huntly by Charles Brockden Brown

More resources for you:

• See what books are on the virtual literary salon schedule.
• Follow me on Instagram @lesalonreads.
• Follow me on Twitter @lesalonreads.
• Visit my website.

Horace Walpole lived and breathed the Gothic. His novel, The Castle of Otranto, is considered the first English Gothic novel, earning him the title of 'father of Gothic'. In this episode, we'll look at his biography, his inspiration for his "Gothic story", and his legacy.

[1:15] "For the man who began the English Gothic novel era, he isn't exactly what you'd expect."

[12:48] "If you've read Shakespeare's Hamlet, you'll get a very similar vibe to Otranto."

[15:59] "Let the critics have their say: I shall not be vexed: it was not written for their age which wants nothing but cold reason. I own to you, and you will think me madder than ever, that of all my works it is the only one in which I pleased myself."

Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
• Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard IIIby Horace Walpole
• The Monk by Matthew Lewis
• The Mysterious Motherby Horace Walpole

More resources for you:

• See what books are on the virtual literary salon schedule.
• Follow me on Instagram @lesalonreads and Twitter @lesalonreads.
• Visit my website.