#reading lists

a friend recently asked me for book recs on the history of the gothic novel, so I thought I'd throw together a quick, non-exhaustive list of non-fiction recommendations:

The Gothic by Fred Bottling: roughly 200 pages long, this book is such a great introduction to the gothic and its many iterations since its emergence in the mid-18th century. very accessible, gives you a good overview rather than very specificized or niche depth.

The Contested Castle: Gothic Novels and the Subversion of Domestic Ideology by Kate Ferguson Ellis: Focusing especially on the emergence of the middle-class female reading audience in the 18th century, Ellis traces the direct connection between the growing idealization of the home/domestic sphere and the popularity of the Gothic genre (women, importantly, were the primary consumers of Gothic fiction!)

Colonial and Post Colonial Gothic: The Carribean by Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert: a really fantastic article which highlights the role of imperialism, colonialization, and slavery within the early Gothic genre. I found the full PDF online -- please enjoy!

The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction: another really fantastic collection of essays which outline the history and the progression of the gothic across time (from the 1700's to the present) and space (starting in Great Britain than moving through and across the Atlantic). Like Bottling's text, this book would serve as a great critical introduction for those new to the genre.

Monster Culture (Seven Theses) by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen: this essay isn't strictly about the gothic, but it gives a useful and very popular framework for how to culturally and critically interpret the monster which lends itself very helpfully, i think, with studying Gothic texts. full article available here.

The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar: again, not strictly about the Gothic but still a worthwhile book to check out. at 700 pages, this is a tome of critical essays. some of it is a bit outdated, i don't personally agree with some of their interpretations (but that, arguably, makes their criticism all the more useful!) -- I don't think you need to read this entire book if you're not inclined, but their interpretations of Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights is worth skimming if you're interested in a feminist analysis of these gothic and gothic-adjacent texts.

Inspirations for this text / recommended reading (on a Tor browser)

Malatesta, Let Us Be Of Good Cheer!

The group formerly know as “Bash Back”, I Don’t Bash Back I Shoot First: On Queer Gangs

Institute For The Study of Insurgent Warfare, Nine Theses On Insurgency

Mia Mingus’ concept of pod mapping

Basically every communiqué from the EZLN but see especially the Fourth Declaration of the Lacandona Jungle

adrienne maree brown, We Will Not Cancel Us ; and Pleasure Activism

Aragorn!, Toward a non European Anarchism or Why a movement is the last thing that people of color need

Margaret Killjoy, (podcast) Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff: Gay Resistance to Nazis, 2022-05-30 and 2022-06-01

Kaneko Fumiko, A Work of My Own! (in: The Prison Memoirs of a Japanese Woman )

marvel: [ marvel side blog - @kamalakhanvariant ]

champions, runaways, new mutants, ms marvel, nova, angel revelations, moon girl & devil dinosaur, avengers academy, incredible hercules, new prince of power

dc: blue beetle, superman: son of kal-el, anything by nicole maines (!!)

other: invincible, RADIANT BLACK !!!!!!!!!!!!, nimona, teenage mutant ninja turtles, mech cadet yu

i have a pretty decent sized collection, unfortunately i can not buy comics in my country (literally no shop!!!!) but i usually buy a couple every time i go on holiday :P

Supergirl: The Trinity Child (inspired by the Post-Crisis Concept) includes Kara’s relationships with the Superfamily, Batfamily and Amazons

What makes a Supergirl? A reading list that explores common themes, characteristics, parallels among the Supergirls (It will be this or number 5)

Legends Don’t Stay Dead: A list of Kara/Supergirl publication call outs from 1986-2003 in the Supergirl mythos. (It will be this or number 2)

It doesn’t get any gayer. (not Kara focused-My favorite gay propaganda from the supposedly straight)

Supergirl and the Stages of Grief

Supergirl and her Secret Life: showcases Kara outside the cape. The title references her secret identity and the kryptonian life she rarely discusses with others.

Supergirl and Superman (because it is way too long for the other one I made.)

Winter Wonderland (not Kara focused- mostly Holiday specials, but a few winter themed issues the world should read)

Kara of Krypton (Kara’s adventures on Krypton, New Krypton, and Argo City)

A totally sane reading order for the entirety merged timeline Supergirl(s) with a list of issues I would consider fully retconned and outside of the timeline due to technicalities and notes how it works over all. [i.e. Supergirl is my life]

A totally sane reading order for the entirety merged timeline Batgirl(s) with a list of issues I would consider fully retconned and outside of the timeline due to technicalities and notes how it works over all.

Standard Reading Lists To Do List:

Lobo

Etrigan

Ystina