The Accursed

The Accursed is an historical novel, part of Joyce Carol Oates’ Gothic series, set in 1905-6, which is perfect for Clarence White’s photo, made in 1906.
The increased contrast in the detail of White’s Morning used for this book cover gives the image a ghostly, haunting quality that, in my opinion, is not at all present in the original image. It also reminds me of an Edward S. Curtis photo (Waiting in the Forest – Cheyenne) on the cover of another book, The Native, by David Plante. While the photos were made around the same time (About four years apart), Curtis’ is part of a documentary study of the North American Indian, while White’s, aside from the fact that almost all photographs are a document of something, is essentially an image staged to create a mood, or emotional sensibility.

To view an uncropped version of Clarence White’s photo, click here.

To view the front cover & spine of Joyce Carol Oates’ book, scroll down and click on “Additional Views”.

To view more books using the same cover image, scroll down and click on “Multiple Uses”.