Shadows in the Attic cover

Shadows in the Attic

by Neil Wilson

Supernatural fiction was one of the most popular literary genres of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Most leading literary authors of their day, such as Dickens, Gaskell and Kipling, wrote in the genre. Many others, such as M. R. James, Arthur Machen, and Algernon Blackwood, are known almost purely for their supernatural writing. *Shadows in the Attic* provides a comprehensive portrait of a genre more diverse and far more influential than commonly supposed. Based on the world famous collections of the British Library, Neil Wilson has identified the two hundred top writers active in the supernatural genre during its golden age - from the end of the Gothic period to the birth of modern Hоrrоr. A concise biography of each author is followed by an informed and annotated bibliography of their supernatural stories and novels. Sources for further reading are also given. *Shadows in the Attic* is not only an authoritative guide, but a reliable and engrossing introduction to the whole of British supernatural fiction.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?