The Gothic Labyrinth introduces gothic writers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, exploring their sources and inspirations as well as their influence on other artists. This is intended for entertainment only, as a form of literary trivia. Continue the ripple effect by sending in your own literary anecdotes.

At the center of the maze is Horace Walpole. From there, four main paths branch off, each terminating in a painting which crystallizes some aspect of dark romanticism.

Use the "next" link to navigate the path, or roam at will using the text links. (Most, but not all, personalities will be found using the "next" links). Enter Maze.

Some questions raised (and sometimes answered)

Was Charlotte Brontë Thackeray's mistress?
Did Mary Shelley read de Sade's Justine?
Did Bulwer-Lytton inspire the Third Reich? What does it have to do with Bovril?
Why did Dante Gabriel Rossetti refuse to be buried next to Lizzie Siddal, and what does it have to do with the novel Dracula?
What painful memories did Byron associate with Ruthven?
Did Shelley ape Byron's incest? And was his death really an accident?
How did The Death of Chatterton destroy a marriage?
Did a British prime minister conspire to have Oscar Wilde prosecuted?
What's Horace Walpole's connection with the Hellfire Club?
What author's lawsuits inspired Dickens' Bleak House?
Who were Silas Tomken Cumberbatch, William Dawson, Ellis Bell, Reginald Bliss, Charles Tringham and Malachi Malagrowther?