Medusa’s Daughters: Magic and Monstrosity from Women Writers of the Fin-de-Siècle

After a period of decline, Gothic literature underwent a revival at the end of the 1800s. As the century turned, women writers such as Vernon Lee, Mary Coleridge, and Graham R. Thomson left an indelible mark on fantasy and horror literature. Like Medusa herself, their poetry and short stories embody the very essence of magic and monstrosity. But be warned, dear reader: when you gaze upon the face of a monster . . . well, the ordinary world may never look quite the same again. Curated and annotated by award-winning fantasy author and Victorianist Theodora Goss, this collection of rare and strange gems serves as a tantalizing sampler of work by fin-de-siècle women writers, whose legacy still echoes in the speculative fiction we know and love today.