Literary Lolita: The Gothic Lolita's Bookshelf

What makes a work of literature a gothic lolita piece? A work of gothic lolita literature is a little more broad time-wise than the classic lolita pieces; it can include everything from the Bible to modern vampire novels. However, for these works, I drew mainly on a similar time from as the classic lolita pieces, namely around the 1500's-1900's, also mainly written in Europe and North America. Gothic literature is actually its own genre, so this list taps greatly into those classics with a few other unexpected additions. Victorian horror is a heavy hitter in this list, but early science fiction and fantasy also make an appearance. Common themes in gothic lolita literature are, obviously, gothic classics like vampires and murder but also the supernatural in general, malaise with society, ennui, discontent with the modern world, and a deep-seated feeling of one's own strangeness. It is an escape from the false brightness of modern life like a London or Paris back alley; dark and shadowy, these works have a slightly foreboding air and rarely end happily.

On the Gothic Lolita's bookshelf...

In no particular order:

• The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
• Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
• A Modest Proposal by Johnathan Swift
• Grimm's Fairy Stories by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Anything by Edgar Allen Poe but especially his poetry and short stories
• Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire
• The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by Sir James Knowles
• Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster
• A Light in August by William Faulkner
• Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

I have to admit, as someone who doesn't dapple much in gothic lolita or gothic fashion in general, this was a difficult one for me! So I encourage my more gothically-inclined followers to please add your suggestions to the comments section below! I'd love to see what you all recommend~