25+ Gothic Novels Free! [PDF]

The gothic narrative developed in the 18th century and was well received by the public of the time. Some works of this genre have become classics. As we know that you are attracted to this genre, we present you this selection of gothic novels in PDF format.

The first gothic novels have a strong romantic setting. The first of them was The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpol and there was production within the genre until the first decade of the 19th century. 

All the works were characterized by dark and gloomy landscapes. They also abound in medieval architecture, especially castles.

In these castles there are countless distressing and terrifying things like dragging chains, heartbreaking screams, presence of monsters, ghosts, demons or strange and grotesque beings. 

In this type of novel you feel a strong atmosphere of suspense that usually does not leave the reader until the end. Check out this great collection of more than 25 gothic novels in PDF format, ready for free download on any of your electronic devices.

At the end we invite you to visit:

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Featured Gothic Novels

1) Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey tells the story of Catherine Morland, a young woman fond of reading gothic novels, who receives an invitation from the Tilneys to spend some time at their country house. 

Once there, the young woman will spend much of her time investigating twisted and imaginary family secrets.

But when all her research is over and all of Catherine’s assumptions come to an end, the young woman will come to understand that real life is not a novel and that everything she created in her mind was the result of her imagination. 

This will lead the young protagonist to put her feet on the ground to direct her life according to the social norms and doctrines of the time.

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2) The Picture of Dorian Gray

Author: Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a full-length oil portrait of Basil Hallward, an artist impressed and enamored of Dorian’s beauty; he believes that Dorian’s beauty is responsible for his new state of mind as a painter. 

Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon captivated by the aristocrat’s hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life.

Conscious that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul to ensure that the image, instead of him, will grow old and fade. 

The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a debauched life of varied amoral experiences while remaining young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and records every sin.

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3) The Phantom of the Opera

Author: Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera is one of those literary classics that are worth reading over and over again because of its richness of writing and depth of story, its success has been such that it has been adapted into musicals, movies, and much more.

The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of Erik, a totally disfigured man who yearns for revenge, however, he meets love in a beautiful woman and that causes divided thoughts in his mind.

This gothic novel takes the reader through a beautiful and at the same time painful plot, where romanticism, mystery, and unbridled passion greatly adorn each of its pages.

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Gothic Novels

1) Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen

2) The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

3) The Phantom of the Opera

Gaston Leroux

4) The Castle of Otranto

Horace Walpole

5) Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

6) Dracula

Bram Stoker

7) The Monk

Matthew Gregory Lewis

8) The Turn of the Screw

Henry James

9) The Mysteries of Udolpho

Ann Radcliffe

10) Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë

11) Vathek

William Beckford

12) Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

13) Carmilla

Sheridan Le Fanu

14) The Vampyre

John William Polidori

15) Melmoth the Wanderer

Charles Maturin

16) The Fall of the House of Usher

Edgar Allan Poe

17) The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle

18) Wieland

Charles Brockden Brown

19) A Sicilian Romance

Ann Radcliffe

20) The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Victor Hugo

21) The Italian

Ann Radcliffe

22) The House of the Seven Gables

Nathaniel Hawthorne

23) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving

24) The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe

25) In a Glass Darkly

Sheridan Le Fanu

26) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

27) The Woman in White

Wilkie Collins

28) The Beetle

Richard Marsh

29) Salathiel the Immortal

George Croly

Here ends our selection of free Gothic Novels in PDF format. We hope you liked it and already have your next book!

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