Gothic horror trivia challenge!

[LadySoth]

Are you thinking of the pair that run a pastry or something, killed their victims and baked them in their wares, to sell later?

The names escape me, but there is certainly a touch of cannibalism in this story, if that's the magic word you're looking for.

No, that was Sweeny Todd (Demon barber of Fleet St.). Johnny Depp was in the movie. Took place in London I believe, not Edinburgh.

I think Griselda's word is a play on one of the murderer's names . . .

[Le Noir Faineant]

Rafael -- That story in "Terrific Tales" sounds like it inspired Algernon Blackwood's short "Ancient Sorceries". There are women turning into black cats, but it's more involved with diabolic witchcraft rather than lycanthropy.

Yeah, definitely. - Lycanthropy as a concept like in the classic movies I believe was a concept relatively unknown to the Gothic (meaning, "true Gothic", 1760-1820). I think the first modern portrayal of a werebeast would be Rudyard Kipling's "The Mark of the Beast" from 1891. Apart from that, none of the classic tales I know about features the modern werewolf stereotype as we find it in the 20th century horror movies.

[Ail]

Rafael -- That story in "Terrific Tales" sounds like it inspired Algernon Blackwood's short "Ancient Sorceries". There are women turning into black cats, but it's more involved with diabolic witchcraft rather than lycanthropy.

Yeah, definitely. - Lycanthropy as a concept like in the classic movies I believe was a concept relatively unknown to the Gothic (meaning, "true Gothic", 1760-1820). I think the first modern portrayal of a werebeast would be Rudyard Kipling's "The Mark of the Beast" from 1891. Apart from that, none of the classic tales I know about features the modern werewolf stereotype as we find it in the 20th century horror movies.

Thanks, Raf, that's what I suspected.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Apart from that, none of the classic tales I know about features the modern werewolf stereotype as we find it in the 20th century horror movies.

That's because the modern werewolf stereotype was invented for the movies. Invulnerability to everything but silver was an excuse to keep the Wolfman from simply being shot dead in his first action scene, while the contagious bite was a gimmick to milk the Rule Of Drama and incorporate some necessary exposition, by making him a sympathetic figure whose ignorance about lycanthropy would mirror the audience's.

[Le Noir Faineant]

While one could dispute that those elements came up in several folklore tales already, I personally think you're right: The modern Werewolf concept is indeed something that went popular with the movies, not with literature, as far as I know.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Rafael -- That story in "Terrific Tales" sounds like it inspired Algernon Blackwood's short "Ancient Sorceries". There are women turning into black cats, but it's more involved with diabolic witchcraft rather than lycanthropy.

Yeah, definitely. - Lycanthropy as a concept like in the classic movies I believe was a concept relatively unknown to the Gothic (meaning, "true Gothic", 1760-1820). I think the first modern portrayal of a werebeast would be Rudyard Kipling's "The Mark of the Beast" from 1891. Apart from that, none of the classic tales I know about features the modern werewolf stereotype as we find it in the 20th century horror movies.

Thanks, Raf, that's what I suspected.

Hehe, I have to thank you for giving me the motivation to spend an evening immersed in Gothic books!

[Ail]

Sorry, not quite. And there's a specific word I'm looking for in the bonus question.

Well, then, since this question seems now to be long forgotten, let me answer

Burke and Hare, and associates might be considered too.
The method of killing was called 'burking' by some.

Trivia on the trivia: there has been an article published in the BoS series about these two fellows and the Anatomist who bought their corpses, Dr. Know, including even a nursery (?) rhyme on it. I can't look for it now, but I remember it very well.

But that's on wikipedia as well

Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief,
Knox, the boy who buys the beef!

[Griselda]

Yup, Ail, that's what I was looking for. I was thinking it a mite strange that these two had never darkened Ravenloft's door in any shape, given their gruesome history.

Take it away, someone, with a question.

[Ail]

Yup, Ail, that's what I was looking for. I was thinking it a mite strange that these two had never darkened Ravenloft's door in any shape, given their gruesome history.

Take it away, someone, with a question.

I think it should be RShini posing the next question, then, as he gave essentially the right answer, short of typoes

[Ail]

Sorry, not quite. And there's a specific word I'm looking for in the bonus question.

Well, then, since this question seems now to be long forgotten, let me answer

Burke and Hare, and associates might be considered too.
The method of killing was called 'burking' by some.

Trivia on the trivia: there has been an article published in the BoS series about these two fellows and the Anatomist who bought their corpses, Dr. Know, including even a nursery (?) rhyme on it. I can't look for it now, but I remember it very well.

But that's on wikipedia as well

Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief,
Knox, the boy who buys the beef!

Heh!, it's an old one after all! There is an article in the Book of Souls (the first one!) by none other than Chris Nichols, one of the founders of the Kargatane, iirc, perhaps even the one who had the original idea. The rhyme there uses 'the man' instead of 'the boy', but for the rest it is equal.

Interestingly, this is not set in the Gothic Earth, as I expected, but in Il Aluk. Historical situations have been addapted, by Burke, Hare and Knox all keep their names. Unsurprisingly, Burke and Hare are now ghouls, but they are still around and actually the article is very well written and usable.

[LadySoth]

Bah! "Gothic Horror Trivia Challenge"! Its, not much of a "Challenge" without a question . . .

[Ail]

You're right, Lady Soth. Let's remedy that situation:

Usually, Gothic fiction has a very much european flavour in its setting. But there is at least a gothic novel from the XVIIIth (not XIXth) century that breaks this assumption. Which one?

NOTE: I should add that in the term European I also include north america, as the civilization is similar. So I'm looking for a complete break in culture, so to say. Sorry that I can not explain this better :-/

[Agamemnon]

It is Vathek, a novel that takes place in the Caliphate, thus feeding into the Oriental craze of the day. I can't remember the author, though, but I hope that the title is enough for a correct answer.

[Ail]

Yes it is, your question next.
The author is Thomas Beckford.

Hopefully we get this game rolling again...

[Agamemnon]

All right, then, I'll have a go:

In response to the flood of so-called Gothic tales in the late 18th century and early 19th, a famous writer wrote a hilarious send-up of the genre by parodying a certain, at that time, equally famous writer.

The question is:

What is the name of this mock Gothic novel?

Bonus questions:

What is the name of the author who wrote this parody?

And what is the name of the author being parodied?