Available Formats
Paperback
Published: 15th February 2015
Paperback, Main
Published: 15th October 2013
Paperback
Published: 26th August 2024
The Black Spider: Annotated Edition with an introduction by H.M. Waidson
By (Author) Jeremias Gotthelf
Translated by H.M. Waidson
Alma Books Ltd
Alma Classics
26th August 2024
23rd August 2024
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Classic horror and ghost stories
Fiction in translation
Paperback
128
Width 129mm, Height 198mm
After one of their own people repeatedly fails to live up to a pact with the Devil, a petty and morally bankrupt village community is plagued by a swarm of deadly black spiders. Using a complex narrative structure, Gotthelfs cautionary novella shrewdly dissects the iniquitous social dynamics of rural life. First published in 1842, The Black Spider displays its authors talent for dark satire and realism, as well as the visionary powers of his imagination.
Jeremias Gotthelf (17971854) was a Swiss pastor whose works were heavily influenced by both his faith as he considered his writings to be another way to cure souls and the Bernese countryside, the setting of most of his books.