Gothic Novel
Gabby Ferrara, Divya Rijhwani, Chloe Walsh, and Sarah Burstein
Gothic Elements:
 Setting in a castle (or house in film) - Usually takes place near something dark,
abandoned, and mysterious like a castle
 An atmosphere of mystery and suspense (through an inexplicable event)
 An ancient prophecy- The prophecy is usually confusing, partial, and related to
one of the characters.
 Omens, portents, and visions- Characters have disturbing visions about upcoming
events.
 Supernatural events- Dramatic events that usually occur (ex. seeing
ghosts/giants/inanimate object coming to life)
 Intense emotion- Extremely sentimental narration and intense feeling of doom,
terror, and panic
 Women in distress- Appeals to pathos (sympathy of the reader); heroines are often
the main character and are pensive, oppressed, and abandoned.
 Women threatened by tyrannical men- Often the women are under the control of
powerful men (like a king, lord, father, or guardian) who often demand something
(marriage or committing a crime) from them.
 Metonymy of gloom and horror- (Metonymy is the subtype of a metaphor)
Suggest elements of mystery, danger, or supernatural
 Vocabulary of the Gothic- Sets the atmosphere and maintains the dark and
stimulated feel through vocabulary describing mystery, fear, terror, sorrow,
surprise, hast, anger, largeness, and darkness
Elements of Romance:
 Powerful love- Life/death commitment
 Uncertainty of reciprocation- Beloved thinking about lover’s return
 Unreturned love- Love in vain
 Tension between true love and father’s control- Disapproval of lover
 Lovers parted- Obstacles cause the lovers to be (geographically or otherwise)
separated (ex. banished, arrested, put into a dungeon, or disappear). The
explanation of separation is often false.
 Illicit love/lust threatens the virtuous one- A woman is the target of an evil man’s
desires/schemes.
 Rival lovers/multiple suitors- More than one person is vying for affection.
The Romantic Period:
 Began with 18th century writers’ turn to past
 Gothic = type of imitation medievalism
o Macabre, mysterious, and supernatural
o In Victorian literature, American fiction, film and television
 Gothic revival in gardens and architecture before to literature, especially by
Horace Walpole- Purchased Strawberry Hill to make it more Gothic
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o The Castle of Otranto (1764)- Mysterious novel with supernatural events
and damsel in distress (Its popularity made it the commonest type of
fiction in England of the next half-century.)
Women were the authors of: the most enduring novel (by Mary Shelley), the bestselling novel (by Ann Radcliffe- “Queen of Terror”), and the most effective
sendup (by Jane Austen)
Most frequently mentioned Gothic works: Otranto, Vathek (oriental rather than
medieval), The Romance of the Forest, The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Monk
(involved seduction, incestuous rape, matricide, and diabolism), Northanger
Abbey, and Nightmare Abbey
Most important work- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
o Relates to science, poetry, psychology, politics, alienation, education, and
family relationships
o Reproduction of tone
More signs of Gothic influence in frequently read Romantic poems such as:
 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Christabel (atmosphere, setting,
plot, seduction)
A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms:
 Gothic Counterfeit: Fakery of authenticity
 Doppelganger: Ghostly counterpart of a living person
 The Explained Supernatural: When a phenomena could possibly be explained by the
laws of nature, the reader is able to question whether the events are supernatural or
can be explained.
 Gothic: Mankind’s intrinsic desire to plunge into the depths of terror
 Inquisition: The end of heresies
 Terror vs. Horror:
o Terror: Leads to a complex fear of the obscure; challenges the reader to be able to
find a plausible answer to strange happenings; stimulates the imagination
o Horror: Derives from concrete imagery which is used to induce fear; reader is
unable to intellectualize the phenomena
 Marvelous vs. Uncanny:
o Marvelous: The laws of nature must be changed for the phenomena to occur.
o Uncanny: The laws of nature can remain the same for the phenomena to occur.
 Gothic Parody: Satire or mockery which imitates a particular writer’s style, often
ironically employing gothic devices
 The Wandering Jew: Symbolizes the curse of immortality
 Other terms/elements: ancestral curse (evil/misfortune), anti-Catholicism, bodysnatching (at a grave or robbing), cemetery, claustrophobia, the Devil,
dreaming/nightmares, exorcism, ghost, grotesque, haunted castle, Incubus,
possession, imprisonment/entrapment, mist, mystery, necromancy, pursuit of
characters, revenge, sensibility, sublime, superstition, unreliable narrator,
vampire/werewolf, villain-hero, witchcraft