Weird Fiction and the Cult of Obscurity

[Speaking Mute]

Quote Originally Posted by Robert Adam Gilmour

Quote Originally Posted by Speaking Mute If you think that the only thing separating Scooby Doo from immortal greatness is more fainting, sentimental romance, use of the word "sublime", and slowing the plot to a glacial crawl in order to praise sublime French and Italian landscapes, then Ann Radcliff is definitely the way to go. The landscapes aspect definitely appeals, setting is one of the most important things for me. I hate the idea of Scooby Doo endings but if the castles are still real, I can make do. I read a really beautiful excerpt of her writing once.

I love the prose of authors like Tolkien, Lovecraft, Melville, Hardy etc. who develop setting and atmosphere through detailed descriptions of natural landscapes, architecture, technology etc., but Radcliffe doesn't have the knowledge and sense of phrasing or pacing to pull it off. I haven't read enough about her to know if she explicitly plagiarized other authors, but her descriptions were infamously based off of contemporary travelogues, and it gives her writing the cut and paste character you'd expect from plagiarism.

If you haven't read any of the 18th century Gothic writers, I'd recommend starting with Lewis, Waldpole, Reeve, Brown, etc. The logic, plots, and characters are on par with Radcliffe, but I think they're all far more enjoyable.