"In 1804, Britain is uneasy. The short peace of Amiens ended the previous year, and now war is escalating in Europe again. Napoleon keeps a large army at the Northern coast of France. The British government builds small defensive forts to protect the coasts of south east England and Ireland against the threat of a French invasion. In December, Spain will again declare war on Britain. What can you read to distract the mind in these difficult times?
In 1804, 73 new novels wait for readers, and of these, 14 % are Gothic. The output of new Gothic novels is in decline (1803: 24 % of 79 novels were Gothic). But this doesn't mean the end of the fascination with monks, castles and Italian counts. On the rise is easy reading-fodder in the shape of the so-called blue book: short, cheap abridgements or even only summaries of full-length gothic novels.
With regards to the other genres of fiction, translations from French and German authors sell well. British female authors are also in high demand, the most celebrated are those who hold-up high moral values in their stories. Nevertheless, proto-feminist literature and works by so-called bluestockings drive discussions about the role and rights of women…"
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Armand
returns to Flintloque to paint an Ogre.
