Can you name some great southern gothic novels?

Sure. 'The Sound and the Fury' by William Faulkner is very famous. It's told from multiple perspectives and shows the decline of a southern aristocratic family, with elements like mental illness, incestuous thoughts, and the overall decay of the old South.

There are several great gothic novels. 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson is a classic. It shows the duality of human nature through the transformation of Dr. Jekyll into the evil Mr. Hyde. 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier is another. Manderley, the grand but haunted estate, and the mystery surrounding the first Mrs. de Winter create a perfect gothic setting. Also, 'Carmilla' by Sheridan Le Fanu is a notable gothic vampire story that predates 'Dracula' and has its own unique charm with its female vampire protagonist.

One characteristic is the use of a decaying southern setting. These novels often feature old plantations, swamps, and small, isolated towns. Another is complex and often morally ambiguous characters. For example, a character might be a genteel southern belle with a dark secret. And there's a sense of the past haunting the present, like family secrets or the legacy of slavery that lingers in the story.

Flannery O'Connor is a very well - known southern gothic novelist. Her works often deal with themes of religious and moral decay. Another one is William Faulkner. He is famous for his complex exploration of southern society and family dynamics in his novels. Truman Capote also wrote some works with elements of southern gothic, like 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' which has a lot of the typical southern gothic elements such as strange characters and a sense of the macabre.

One is 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison. It deals with the haunting legacy of slavery in a very southern gothic way, with the ghost of a baby being a central and eerie element. Another is 'A Confederacy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole. It has a host of strange and comical characters in a southern setting that also reveals the darker aspects of society.

Some might say that 'The House of the Seven Gables' is among the first southern gothic novels. It contains elements like a decaying, mysterious house that seems to hold secrets of the past. The characters are complex, and there's a sense of a sort of cursed or haunted quality to the whole setting, which are hallmarks of southern gothic literature.

Sure. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee is a well - known southern gothic novel. It deals with themes of racial injustice and the loss of innocence in the South. Another is 'A Streetcar Named Desire' by Tennessee Williams. It shows the decline of the southern belle through the character of Blanche.

Well, from 'the complete stories southern gothic novels', 'As I Lay Dying' is a classic. It tells the story of a poor family's journey to bury their mother, with each character having their own complex psyche. Then there's 'A Streetcar Named Desire', which shows the clash between the genteel south and the more brutish new world through the character of Blanche DuBois. Also, 'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter' presents the isolation and longing of various characters in a southern - like setting.

Sure. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a very famous one. It deals with themes of racial injustice in a southern town. Another is 'Gone with the Wind', which tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. 'The Sound and the Fury' by William Faulkner is also well - known. It has a complex narrative structure and delves deep into the decline of a southern family.

Sure. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is really good. It shows the good and bad in southern society. Then there's 'Absalom, Absalom!'. It has a complex plot. And 'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter' is also a great one.