Readings

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Fiction

Folk and Fairy tales
Horror/Spooky
Appropriate for all ages
Full length text
Click for audiobook

• Paradise Lost, by John Milton, 1667 - It's the full text of Paradise Lost. Check out Gustave Dore's beautiful illustrations on archive.org here.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, 1819 - Classic colonial American ghost story on the subject of fear and folklore. Warning for racist language/framing (brief).
• Thumbelina, by Hans Christian Andersen, 1849 - Fairy tale. Thumbelina was born into this world a flower, and happiness does not come easily.
• The Happy Prince, by Oscar Wilde, 1888 - Short fairy tale about a Prince and a Sparrow.
• The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1892 - A woman is confined to the attic of the new home she shares with her husband, "for her own good". Short psychological horror story.
• A Rose For Emily, by William Faulkner, 1930 - The life and death of the last heiress of a wealthy Southern legacy. Warning for racist language throughout (appropriate to the setting/time period).
• A Visit, by Shirley Jackson, 1952 - A young woman visits her friend's decadent estate for summer vacation. Short story with surreal mystery elements. Audio Only.
• All Summer in a Day, by Ray Bradbury, 1954 - Sun makes a quick appearance on Venus. Short sci-fi drama story.
• Ringing the Changes, by Robert Aickman, 1955 - A poorly-planned honeymoon falls on a strange night in a strange town. Short personal drama ghost story.
• The Lady of the House of Love, by Angela Carter, 1975 - Sleeping Beauty by way of Nosferatu; expect the usual hallmarks of vampire fiction.
• The Specialist's Hat, by Kelly Link, 1998 - Two girls move to a strange old house when their father decides to write a history of its original owner, a mostly-forgotten poet. Short ghost story with magical realism and horror elements.

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