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Dark Imaginings: Gothic Tales of Wonder Exhibition

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by Fiona Anderson (subscribe)

A Melbourne based writer who is a travel junkie, dedicated foodie and emerging photographer.

Event: 01/03/2018 - 31/07/2018

Imagine you lived in the 18th-19th century

Upcoming milestone Gothic anniversaries - namely the bicentenary of the first publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the 200th birthday of Emily Bronte, author of Wuthering Heights - are an inspiration for the exhibition 'Dark Imaginings: Gothic Tales of Wonder' which opens on 1st March 2018. Featuring some rich holdings from Melbourne University's Baillieu Library's Special Collections, the exhibition tells the stories of graveyard poets, body snatchers and anatomists, and the pseudo-scientific craze of trying to bring dead creatures back to life with electric shock treatment. The exhibition will showcase this through rare books, prints and music from the Gothic period and will also include a mock drawing room setting where visitors can sit and read excerpts of Gothic fiction.

Entry to the exhibition is free, and there is also a series of related public programs (all free, but registration is essential), including curator talks, a Gothic writing workshop and a talk by Professor Ken Gelder on 'Transnational Draculas'.