gothic tropes

The grotesque

that which is odd or natural in shape, appearance or character. (fantastically ugly or absurd)

Supernatural

‘above’ nature, mysterious, inexplicable, magical or fantastical.

Oppositions

key concepts in gothic e.g. sanity/madness, living/dead, past/present.

Obscurity

refers to both physical and mental obscurity - darkness, fogginess, confusion.

The Other

refers to anything which is different from ourselves and is therefore perceived in some way as threatening perhaps because despite its apparent, ‘otherness’, we recognise ourselves in it.

The Abhuman

refers to something that is only party human and possible in the process of becoming something monstrous, such as a vampire or a werewolf.