Gothic Tales by the Fireside with Dr Helena Ifill: The Villa Diodati

Activity

A talk as part of the Fear and Fascination Gothic exhibition programme

Description

In 1816 a group of famous friends met at the Villa Diodati. The story goes that Lord Byron rented the villa to escape the scandals of his love affairs and he was joined there by his friends, John William Polidori, Claire Clairmont, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Mary Shelley). The friends started to exchange ideas on occultism and philosophy and Lord Byron encouraged them to try their hands at writing horror stories to pass the time. Two of the resulting tales were later turned into the most famous works of Gothic fiction; Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Polidori’s The Vampyre. Come and sit by the fireside and hear more about how Gothic came to life!

Period	29 Oct 2025
Event title	Gothic Tales by the Fireside with Dr Helena Ifill: The Villa Diodati
Event type	Talk/Presentation
Location	AberdeenShow on map