Gothic Literature Book Reviews

                                                                                                  The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in 1938, first published in Britain in 1967. The Devil has arrived in late 1930s Moscow in the form of Professor Woland, a self-styled black magician. He is saddened and disappointed to find that people don't believe in him. Accompanying him are several demons, including a large black cat, a tall clown, a naked witch and a vampire. They set about causing chaos, dismantling the somewhat ridiculous nature of Moscow society and exposing greed and hypocrisy. They put on a show at the Variety theatre, showering the audience with money, which later turns into useless labels. Although a mischief-maker an...

                                             The Monastery by Walter Scott was first published in 1820 by Archibald Constable & Co, Edinburgh. The story is something of a whimsical one, with Scott showing a wry sense of humour. The tale begins shortly after the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, with the victorious English then invading parts of southern Scotland and ransacking the monasteries. The monastery in the novel is the fictional one of St Mary's, based on Melrose Abbey. The hero, Halbert Glendinning, is still a young lad, whose father had been killed in the battle, but he shows his mettle by standing up to an English knight. The story moves on to the years after the peace of 1550. The monks have returned to their monastery and continue life as before, however those in favour of the Reformation are gaining ground. The humour is added with the arrival of Sir Percie...