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

gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean ...

ist

Eliza Parsons Eliza Parsons (née Phelp) (1739 – 5 February 1811) was an English Gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre ...

. It was first published in 1795 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 #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

's ''

Northanger Abbey ''Northanger Abbey'' ( ) is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic fiction, Gothic novels written by the English author Jane Austen. Although the title page is dated 1818 and the novel was published posthumously in 1817 with ''Persuasio ...

''.

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 ''The Castle of Wolfenbach'' (1793) is the most famous novel written by the English Gothic novelist Eliza Parsons. First published in two volumes in 1793, it is among the seven "horrid novels" recommended by the character Isabella Thorpe in J ...
'', '' Clermont'', '' Mysterious Warnings'', '' Necromancer of the Black Forest'', '' Midnight Bell'', '' Orphan of the Rhine'', and '' Horrid Mysteries''. 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 London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

by the sensationalist

Minerva Press Minerva Press was a publishing house, notable for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction, active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (1790–1820). It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Lead ...

and contains many familiar gothic tropes, including dark family secrets,

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

, seduction, and ghostly apparitions.

Editions

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

Valancourt Books Valancourt Books is an independent American publishing house founded by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle in 2005. The company specializes in "the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction", in particular gay titles, Gothic novels a ...

Footnotes

1796 British novels Novels by Eliza Parsons 1790s fantasy novels British Gothic novels Fiction about incest {{18thC-gothic-novel-stub