{"product_id":"four-gothic-novels-the-castle-of-otranto-vathek-the-monk-frankenstein-9780192823311","title":"Four Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto; Vathek; The Monk; Frankenstein","description":"Macabre and melodramatic, set in haunted castles or fantastic landscapes, Gothic tales became fashionable in the late eighteenth century with the publication of Horace Walpole's \u003cem\u003eThe Castle of Otranto \u003c\/em\u003e(1764). Crammed with catastrophe, terror, and ghostly interventions, the novel was an immediate success, and influenced numberous followers. These include William Beckford's \u003cem\u003eVathek\u003c\/em\u003e (1786), which alternates grotesque comedy with scenes of exotic magnificence in the story of the ruthless Caliph Vathek's journey to damnation. \u003cem\u003eThe Monk\u003c\/em\u003e (1796), by Matthew Lewis, is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest, set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid. \u003cem\u003eFrankenstein\u003c\/em\u003e (1818, 1831) is Mary Shelley's disturbing and perennially popular tale of a young student who learns the secret of giving life to a creature made from human relics, with horrific consequences.\u003cbr\u003e This collection illustrates the range and attraction of the gothic novel. Extreme and sensational, each of the four printed here is alos a powerful psychological story of isolation and monomania.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50383270936850,"sku":"9780192823311","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c862418c-3ca6-4269-96da-857f19710b71.jpg?v=1728781842","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/four-gothic-novels-the-castle-of-otranto-vathek-the-monk-frankenstein-9780192823311","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}