Gothic
Literature
By
Mike Roy, Sarah Idler, and
Brittany Johnson
What is
Gothic Literature
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The standard Gothic paraphernalia
(haunted castles, creaking staircases,
vampire bats, and zombies) are only the
trappings that may or may not be present.
More substantial characteristics of Gothic
are:

An oddly romantic relationship
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Labyrinths
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Extreme weather, rugged
landscapes
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Omens and ancestral curses
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A passion-driven villain-hero or
villain
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Ruined buildings and/or castles
which threaten life
Gothic Literature
There are two different styles of Gothic
Literature:
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Revival of the medieval: especially in
architecture; Manor houses were built
in the style of the Tudor castles of the
Middle Ages because this were
thought to be an indigenous “English”
style that symbolized the English
values of tradition.
Another aspect of medievalism: the
mysterious and spooky world of the
Catholic church at the time of the
Inquisition and the bright jewel-like
colors, flat perspective, and
sometimes gory piety of fifteenthcentury church painting.
Gothic Architecture

By the 18th Century in England, Gothic had become
one in the same with the Middle Ages, a period which
was in disfavor because it was perceived as chaotic,
unenlightened, and superstitious.

The words Goth and Gothic also described the
Germanic tribes (e.g., Goths, Visigoths, Ostrogoths)
which ravaged the rest of Europe in the third, fourth,
and fifth centuries.

Because of these tribes and their actions, the words
Gothic and Goth also came to mean barbarian,
barbarous, and barbaric.

Gothic architecture tends to lean towards the grandiose
and extravagant.
Architecture cont…
Terror vs. Horror

TERROR: the feeling of unknowing;
feelings of uncertainty and doom
associated with shadows and a
presence in the night; threats of
happiness

HORROR: the physical gore of a
murder; blood, guts, and at times
unnecessary. This would also be
Gothic Movement
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Divided into two categories: High Aesthetic and Low Aesthetic
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High Aesthetic – works were concerned with supporting society as a whole (gender roles, class
structure, etc…)
Low Aesthetic – works were considered to be corrosive because they went against the norms
of that time period
The Gothic Movement was considered as Low Aesthetic because it contradicted many of the notions of that
time.
Responses to the
Gothic Movement
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Excerpts from “Gothic Threats” – Andrew Cooper
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“Examinations of eighteenth-century critics’ condemnations of the Gothic reveals more than a
widespread belief that the literature of terror threatened the social order in terrifying ways: it also
reveals that critics took the task of defending society upon themselves, using their condemnations
in an effort to shield the social order from the most dangerous Gothic texts. A strong political
agenda either overtly or covertly informs the ‘supposedly’ aesthetic judgements of these critics-associal-defenders” (18)
“While anxiety of the potential pernicious influence of certain kinds of art itself, the
vehemence with the British critics condemned most Gothic novels in the politically and
socially turbulent 1790s that the peak of the early Gothic’s popularity marked the beginning
of a new era for the fear of literature’s generative potential” (18).
It is not difficult to see that Gothic literature would not have been seen as popular at
that time. According or Markmen Ellis “For most of its history the institutions of
literary criticism have largely ignored the Gothic novel” (12).
The Mysteries of Udolpho
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“Another gate delivered them into the second
court, grass-grown and more wild than the first,
where, as she surveyed through the twilight its
desolation – its lofty walls, overtopt with briony,
moss and nightshade, and the embattled
towers that rose above, - long-suffering and
murder came to her thoughts. One of those
instantaneous and unaccountable convictions,
which sometimes conquer even strong minds,
impressed her with its horror.”
The Castle of Otranto
Horace Walpole
Anaconda
The Monk
Gothic vs. Romanticism
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Gender Relations:
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Ideals of Virtue:
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Class Structure:
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Polarized Stereotypes:
Gothic vs. Amatory Fiction
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Gender Relations:
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Ideals of Virtue:
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Class Structure:
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Polarized Stereotypes:
Status of Women
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Before
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After
Modern Gothic