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Behind the Bookcase Tour | Southern Gothic | In-Person

  • Rosenbach Museum & Library 2008 Delancey Street Philadelphia, PA, 19103 United States (map)

Registration

  • Admission for this tour is $30. Members receive exclusive discounts on our programs and courses. Not a member? Learn more.

  • Please check your spam folder for your email confirmation. If you have questions, please call (215) 732-1600 or email rsvp@rosenbach.org.

  • Registration opens for Delancey Society members on Friday, June 13, for Rosenbach members on Friday, June 20, and for the general public on Friday, June 27. Registration opens at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Description

Southern Gothic is a uniquely American genre, with its portrayal of flawed and grotesque characters set in the American South. Modern authors like Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy have perfected the sinister, unsettling, and even violent stories that deal with subjects like race, class, and isolation in the United States, but who influenced these quintessential authors? In this Behind the Bookcase tour, we will look closely at the evolution of the Gothic, birthed in 18th-century Europe, developed in such works as Dracula, Americanized by writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, polished and southernized by Ambrose Bierce and William Faulkner, and masterfully modernized by Toni Morrison. Look at rare books and manuscripts in the Rosenbach’s collection and read aloud some of the most gothic of the Southern Gothic in Dr. Rosenbach’s historic library. 

Behind the Bookcase: Hands-on Tours at The Rosenbach

Behind the Bookcase: Hands-on Tours offer unparalleled access to see, and even touch, rare and important items not usually on view to the public. Each program is dedicated to a different author, theme, or topic and grants a truly hands-on experience with materials in The Rosenbach’s inspiring collection.

See all upcoming tours hereSpace is limited and advance registration is strongly recommended. 

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Previous
August 3

Behind the Bookcase Tour | A Warm Heart and a Cold Eye: The Legacy of Herman Melville | In-Person

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August 13

Course | Reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings with Professor Michael D. C. Drout | Virtual