''The Mysterious Warning, a German Tale'' is a novel by the English

gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

ist Eliza Parsons. It was first published in 1796 and is one of the seven "horrid novels" lampooned in

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

's '' Northanger Abbey''.

Dear creature! How much I am obliged to you; and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of the same kind for you. Have you, indeed! How glad I am! What are they all? I will read you their names directly; here they are, in my pocketbook. '' Castle of Wolfenbach'', '' Clermont'', ''
Mysterious Warnings ''The Mysterious Warning, a German Tale'' is a novel by the English gothic novelist Eliza Parsons. It was first published in 1796 and is one of the seven "horrid novels" lampooned in Jane Austen's ''Northanger Abbey''. Dear creature! How much ...
'', ''
Necromancer of the Black Forest ''The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest'' is a Gothic novel written by Karl Friedrich Kahlert under the alias Lawrence Flammenberg and localized by Peter Teuthold that was first published in 1794. It is one of the seven 'horrid novel ...
'', ''
Midnight Bell ''The Midnight Bell'' is a gothic novel by Francis Lathom. It was first published anonymously in 1798 and has, on occasion, been wrongly attributed to George Walker. It was one of the seven "horrid novels" lampooned by Jane Austen in her novel ...
'', ''
Orphan of the Rhine ''The Orphan of the Rhine'' is a gothic novel by Eleanor Sleath, listed as one of the seven "horrid novels" by Jane Austen in her novel ''Northanger Abbey''. Subtitled "A Romance" it was published in four volumes by the sensationalist Minerva Pr ...
'', and ''
Horrid Mysteries ''The Horrid Mysteries'', subtitled "A Story From the German Of The Marquis Of Grosse" is a translation by Peter Will of the German Gothic novel ''Der Genius'' by Carl Grosse. It was listed as one of the seven "horrid novels" by Jane Austen in ...
''. Those will last us some time. Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid? —''Northanger Abbey'', ch. 6

Subtitled "a German Tale" it was first published in London by the sensationalist

Minerva Press Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street, Lon ...

and contains many familiar gothic tropes, including dark family secrets, incest, seduction, and ghostly apparitions.

Editions

*1824, London: S. Fisher *1835, London: Joseph Smith *1968, London: Folio Press *2007, Valancourt Books

Footnotes

18th-century British novels 1796 novels Novels by Eliza Parsons 1790s fantasy novels British Gothic novels Incest in fiction {{18thC-gothic-novel-stub