Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. For today’s blog post, I am announcing that Gothic Romance Week 2026 will begin tomorrow. This year’s specific theme for Gothic Romance Week is Frankenstein!
I always love doing this annual theme week each October, and I am very excited to be focusing on Frankenstein this year. I have always adored the original Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley novel, and greatly admire several different adaptations. This is truly a novel that has gripped the artistic imagination for over two centuries now, continuing to inspire other works of art and literature. From straight adaptations in film to stage plays to new twists on the material. In fact, it could be said that most stories that involve a mad scientist and their creation are riffs on Shelley’s iconic novel! I cannot wait to explore all of that and more with you all over the next week.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this short announcement about the theme for this year’s Gothic Romance Week and that you will join me for Frankenstein Week here on White Rose of Avalon beginning tomorrow. What is your favorite adaptation of Frankenstein? Have you read the original novel? Or do you only know the story through adaptation? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is an image from Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Revised Edition 1831), which I have added text to. I found the art on https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frankenstein,_or_the_Modern_Prometheus_(Revised_Edition,_1831)_006.jpg.
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LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries
2 responses to “Announcing Gothic Romance Week 2026!”
What a fantastic announcement! Gothic Romance Week focusing on Frankenstein is a brilliant choice—Shelley’s novel is such a rich text for exploring themes of creation, obsession, isolation, and the blurred lines between horror and romance. It’s amazing how the story has remained so culturally relevant for over two centuries, and you’re absolutely right that the “mad scientist and their creation” trope owes so much to Shelley’s original vision.
To answer your questions: My favorite adaptation is probably Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) — it’s flawed but ambitious, and I love how it tries to stay faithful to the novel’s emotional core and the Creature’s eloquence. I’ve also got a soft spot for James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein (1935) for its gothic atmosphere and dark humor. And yes, I’ve read the original novel — multiple times, actually! It’s one of those books that reveals new layers with each reread.
I totally agree that the novel reveals new things each re-read. I think that’s part of the magic of Gothic fiction, and classic literature in general. When stories are good and multi-layered they will mean new things to us at new points in our lives! I am so glad that you are looking forward to Frankenstein Week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting! ✨ 📖