![]() To attempt to describe the plot in any detail would only cause more confusion. This can be seen as a flaw but 19th century gothic novelists liked to use similar structures to give the impression of a series of eyewitness accounts. It is a series of tales within tales within tales. The Necromancer has a bewilderingly complex structure. ![]() There has been a certain amount of interest in these “horrid novels” and all are currently in print although information on the authors is hard to come by. It had been assumed that Teuthold made this claim to give the book a more German flavour but apparently it really was a translation. Teuthold claimed the book to be a translation from the German of Lawrence Flammenberg (real name Carl Friedrich Kahlert). First published in 1794, Peter Teuthold’s The Necromancer or, The Tale of the Black Forest was one of these seven books. For many years it was assumed that Austen had made up the titles but in fact Austen knew her gothic literature (one suspects she was rather a fan) and all seven are real books. In her satire of the gothic novel, Northanger Abbey, one of Jane Austen’s characters recommends seven “horrid novels” to her friend. The complete text of three contemporary reviews and helpful annotations are also included to further enhance this edition. This edition includes a new preface which reveals for the first time ever the true identity of "The Necromancer"'s author, as well as an original critical essay by Jeffrey Cass, analysing the novel from a modern queer theory standpoint. ![]() One of the earliest Gothic bestsellers, "The Necromancer" was first published in 1794, and after more than two centuries still retains the power to thrill and fascinate readers. Filled with murder, ghosts, and dark magic, and featuring a delirious and dizzying plot that almost defies comprehension, "The Necromancer" is one of the strangest horror novels ever written. "The hurricane was howling, the hailstones beating against windows, the hoarse croaking of the raven bidding adieu to autumn, and the weather-cock's dismal creaking joined with the mournful dirge of the solitary owl." "The Necromancer" consists of a series of interconnected stories, all centering on the enigmatic figure of Volkert the Necromancer.
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