Gothic is a word that embodies so many different things. It can call up ornately designed cathedrals, haunted houses, heavy black eyeliner, and dance moves like picking cobwebs out of the air, to name a few. There is something that unites these ideas. There’s a fascination with mortality and the macabre side of things. These ideas come out in gothic literature as well, stories that focus on fear, monsters, and things that haunt us. The aesthetics of the genre make it easy for gothic literature lovers to broadcast their tastes through avenues like clothing and home goods. Trends come and go, but black never goes out of style. And the real ones will only stop wearing it once they create a darker color.
I’ve pulled together this creepy collection of gothic goodies. Most of them are inspired by the classics of gothic literature like Frankenstein and Jane Eyre. Other items are the perfect bookish accouterments to your perfect gothic reading day. You know the day. It’s very glum, and a cozy sweatshirt, a glowing candle, and a hot cup of coffee are necessary to arm you against the chill of your manor (you do live in a manor, right?) and the creeping dread.
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How better to show the cobwebs in your soul than through a lace bookmark shaped like a coffin? $8
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If I saw someone with a water bottle or a laptop adorned with a floral sticker advertising their affection for Wuthering Heights (book or Kate Bush song, honestly), I’d want to be friends. $4
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Cross-stitch samplers are an aspirational project for the crafty among us; what better subject than the most goth of literary sisters? $38
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Get a real piece of literary history with some brick dust from the building where Poe wrote his oft-memed story “The Cask of Amontillado.” Also a great gift for the book lover who has everything! $25
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Vanilla and coffee go together like crumbling ruins and wandering specters. $10
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Beloved is one of the very best works of Southern Gothic. Advertise your love of Toni Morrison with this diagrammed sentence print. $15
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For fans of the “women running from houses” aesthetic, this cheeky T-shirt celebrates the gothic paperback era. $22
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This hardcover journal is for fans of Dracula and Beetlejuice both. $20
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For my fellow lovers of Mexican Gothic, this moody print depicting Noemi would be at home in any library’s gallery wall. $15
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Speaking of your library, if you want it to smell like hot tea, clove, and romance novels, this alluring candle will do the job. $22
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I’m a fan of athletic-style clothing that’s decidedly literary. This Jane Eyre–inspired shirt is a wink to those who are in the know. $28
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Which Jane Eyre quote in this pencil set is your favorite? I’m a sucker for “I am no bird and no net ensnares me.” $14
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Keep up your correspondence — with humans or ghosts, I don’t judge — with these illustrated notecards. $12
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If you’re a gothic literature fan who has a weakness for puns, this Poe shirt is for you. $28
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This gothic sticker set has great range, including a quote from Austen’s gothic Northanger Abbey! $9
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If thinking of Frankenstein as “90% mountains” gives you a chuckle, you’ll love these one-star review bookmarks. $5
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The aesthetic of this whimsigoth sweatshirt is perfect. In case you’re looking to get into her, Ann Radcliffe wrote many of the oldest and most popular gothic novels in her day, like The Mysteries of Udolpho. $49
Check out even more bookish goods for goths, and keep picking those cobwebs!
– Isabelle Popp
