"The Necromancer of the Black Forest": a truly "horrid novel"

Abstract

"The Necromancer, or A Tale of the Black Forest" is one of seven 'horrid novels' mentioned in Jane Austen's Gothic satire "Northanger Abbey". The Necromancer is one of the more well-known of these, as it has been reprinted at least five times since Austen was writing. This paper gives a history and summary of the novel and how the German original may have influenced other writers of the time. It also considers the framing narrative of the story as well as the Gothic tropes that the author uses looking at it in relation to Todorov's discussion of the Fantasti