The Fall by Albert Camus
The Fall by Albert Camus, first published as La Chute in 1956. First published in translation 1957 by Hamish Hamilton. Possibly not instantly thought of as a Gothic book, this novella has most of the Gothic characteristics. Much of the story is set in a seedy bar in Amsterdam and the canals of the city are said by the narrator to resemble Dante's circles of hell. The narrator himself, Jean-Baptiste Clamence considers himself a judge-penitent. He has delusions of grandeur and a superiority complex. Once a successful lawyer and generous citizen of Paris, Clamence's life changed when he failed to prevent a woman committing suicide by jumping from a bridge into the Seine. The main theme of the book is judgement, by a Higher being, by peers, and by oneself. The book trawls through the baser characteristics of humans, as well as delving into what reasoning may be behind those of a higher nature. Religion, particularly Christianity, is discussed by Clamence as he charms a ch...