Gothic Literature and the Gothic Genre

What is Gothic literature?

A genre of literature they combined horror, death and sometimes romance. Designed to cause the reader to feel a strong sense of foreboding.

Famous Gothic novels

Wuthering Heights

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Frankenstein

Dracula

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Woman In Black

Jane Eyre

Jamaica Inn

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Conventional Protagonist

Hidden secrets threatening the protagonists

Isolated, alone, cut off from people physically and psychologically

High social ranking

Psychological conflict and inner turmoil

Harmartia

Setting

Old rundown structures (castles, country manors) with features such as hidden passages, trapdoors, secret rooms, dungeons, crypts / catacombs etc.

Bleak ominous surroundings (extreme landscapes, dark forests, mountains, terrible weather, isolation from civilisation)

Darkness (shadows, moonlight, faint candles)

Conventional Women

Two types of main women:

The Predator - dangerous yet attractive (vampire brides). Helps portray conflict between pain and please

The Damsel in Distress - fragile, frightened, vulnerable, something for the protagonist to rescue, and a prize for their bravery

Supernatural

Invoked either directly or vaguely to rely upon the imagination of the reader

Builds suspense (ghosts, uncanny characters)

Omens, magic and ancestral curses

Science

People like Charles Darwin and advances in science made Victorians fearful of the use of science for unnatural actions, and the gothic exploits this

Emotions

High emotions and drama (caused by insanity, illness, kidnapping, murders, etc)

Passionate and stubborn characters who defy others and their feelings to achieve their goals

Women are often curious and swoon whereas men are rageful and emotionally tormented