08-18-2014, 10:09 AM
The point is would we consider her books as 'gothics'?
As a fan of Miss Silver I've read most of them and though some have the requisite gothic elements - latent/declared romance, and menacing setting such as stately home - I feel myself Wentworth's prime interest was the puzzle rather than the threat to the heroine. One of her books- The Catherine Wheel- has features very close to gothic romance, an eponymous seaside tavern being the centre of the action but it's aged Miss Silver who carries out most of the sleuthing and romance for a young female character is secondary.
All that said, I can see where you're coming from and would agree Wentworth comes much closer than most other Golden Age mystery writers to the gothic-suspense form.
As a fan of Miss Silver I've read most of them and though some have the requisite gothic elements - latent/declared romance, and menacing setting such as stately home - I feel myself Wentworth's prime interest was the puzzle rather than the threat to the heroine. One of her books- The Catherine Wheel- has features very close to gothic romance, an eponymous seaside tavern being the centre of the action but it's aged Miss Silver who carries out most of the sleuthing and romance for a young female character is secondary.
All that said, I can see where you're coming from and would agree Wentworth comes much closer than most other Golden Age mystery writers to the gothic-suspense form.