Between the Gothic and the Plague: Why we can't have nice things

This volume contains five stories about plague – some short, some long. Each that builds upon the heritage of the other.

This volume contains five stories – some short, some long. Each that builds upon the heritage of the other.  It starts with The Castle of Ontarato (1764) by Horace Walpole which is considered the first, “Gothic Novel”; Vathek, An Arabian Tale (1782) by William Beckford, was influenced by Walpole and Arabian Nights; The Last Man (1826) by Mary Shelley carries on the theme of the previous works, but could be viewed as one of the first science fiction post-apocalyptic novels; The Masque of the Red Death (1842) by Edgar Allen Poe also focuses on apocalyptic forces and society’s efforts (or lack thereof) to deal with it.  Finally, The Scarlet Plague (1912) by Jack London describes a world-wide pandemic that humanity cannot control.  Even the cover illustration, The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, by Goya is influenced by the Gothic art and forms a sort of double-entendre of monsters made in our mind and by doing nothing. 

Jan Kostka is a editor of Science Fictin and Fantasy based in New Jersey

Horace Walpole was an 18th century English politician and writer who is acknowledged to have written the first "Gothic" novel.

William Beckford was also an 18th and early 19th  century writer who was friends with Lord Byron and others of the period

Mary Shelley was an author of the 19th century, the daughter of famous parents and the wife of one of the famous poets of the day.  She is most famous for her work, "Frankenstein".

Edgar Allen Poe was a 19th century author famous for the macabre in short stories

Jack London was a late 19th century / early 20th century author and newspaperman, most known for his stories of the outdoors.