The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest is a Gothic novel by Ludwig Flammenberg (which is a pseudonym for Carl Friedrich Kahlert) first published in 1794. It is one of the seven 'horrid novels' lampooned by Jane Austen in "Northanger Abbey", once thought not to exist except in the text of "Northanger Abbey". The novel consists of a series of lurid tales of hauntings, violence, killings and the supernatural featuring the adventures of Hermann and Helfried and the mysterious wizard Volkert the Necromancer, who has seemingly come back from
Reception history of Jane Austen lifestyle, did not want to follow this suggestion, but her friends convinced her otherwise: in short order, "Emma" was dedicated to him. Austen turned down the librarian's further hint to write a historical romance in honour of the prince's daughter's marriage. In the last year of her life, Austen revised "Northanger Abbey" (1817), wrote "Persuasion" (1817), and began another novel, eventually titled "Sanditon", which was left unfinished at her death. Austen did not have time to see "Northanger Abbey" or "Persuasion" through the press, but her family published them as one volume after her death and her brother Henry included