The Gothic

Contextual considerations

Presence of the past

• An often-used Gothic approach is to show how the past of a building or community can resonate in the imagination of its present-day inhabitants

Unusual narrative voice/viewpoint

• Writers of Gothic literature often make use of multiple narrators, unusual viewpoints and/or narrative voices

Suspense

• This style of writing is full of suspense in order to build tension and to strengthen the reader’s emotional response

The supernatural

• This is often a feature whereby the reader is invited to suspend their disbelief and read the story as a kind of metaphor

Dark humour

is used to explore grim themes through comedy, often highlighting the absurdity of life. Human resistance against horror often can involve the use of dark humour as a coping mechanism

Female victimhood

• These are the stereotypical ‘damsels in distress’

• However, it is also important to consider any subversion of this feature, such as a male character becoming the victim