Thorough™️knowledge
of the Gothic genre
Why the Gothic Is Difficult To Define ……………………………………………………………. 2
Gothic Concepts …………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Gothic Timeline …………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Essential Gothic Novels ………………………………………………………………………….. 13
Concepts as novels ………………………………………………………………………………. 20
Gothic sub-genres …….………………………………………………………………………….. 21
Resources …………………………………………………………………………………………. 22
,Why the Gothic is difficult to define…
● Early examples of the Gothic genre (Radcliffe*, Lewis**) seemed to be writing with a
formula back at the end of the 18th century. They had creepy buildings, supernatural
elements, a damsel in distress, and a typically Gothic villain.
● In the late 18th century, novels adhered so closely to these conventions that they
were often mistaken for satire or accused of plagiarism (Northanger Abbey***).
● The genre is still categorised by its capability for diversity and mutability.
● There is no single time period for the gothic genre like there is for Romanticism or
Victorian.
○ It is timeless; it began in 1764 with Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto and since
then has been a tool to undermine cultural, historical, and literary perceptions
of past and present, civilisation and barbarism, old romance and new literary
realism.
○ Recent criticism says that we should define the ‘gothic’ as a mode of writing
to respond to contemporary conflicts and anxieties, for example how Dracula
deals with anxiety about reverse colonialism.
* Ann Radcliffe. The Mysteries of Udolpho. She was a pioneer of the Gothic genre and her novels are most notable for their
ability to infuse terror in the reader with Romantic sensibility.
** Matthew Gregory Lewis. The Monk. Often referred to as Matthew Gregory ‘Monk’ Lewis due to the success (and notoriety) of
his novel. Also a successful dramatist.
*** Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen.
2
, Gothic concepts
1. Liminal
2. Supernatural
3. Sublime
4. Obscurity
5. Opposites
6. Doppelganger
7. Horror/terror
8. Abhuman
9. Revenant
10.Taboo
11.Uncanny
12.Otherness
Gothic Concepts
3
of the Gothic genre
Why the Gothic Is Difficult To Define ……………………………………………………………. 2
Gothic Concepts …………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Gothic Timeline …………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Essential Gothic Novels ………………………………………………………………………….. 13
Concepts as novels ………………………………………………………………………………. 20
Gothic sub-genres …….………………………………………………………………………….. 21
Resources …………………………………………………………………………………………. 22
,Why the Gothic is difficult to define…
● Early examples of the Gothic genre (Radcliffe*, Lewis**) seemed to be writing with a
formula back at the end of the 18th century. They had creepy buildings, supernatural
elements, a damsel in distress, and a typically Gothic villain.
● In the late 18th century, novels adhered so closely to these conventions that they
were often mistaken for satire or accused of plagiarism (Northanger Abbey***).
● The genre is still categorised by its capability for diversity and mutability.
● There is no single time period for the gothic genre like there is for Romanticism or
Victorian.
○ It is timeless; it began in 1764 with Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto and since
then has been a tool to undermine cultural, historical, and literary perceptions
of past and present, civilisation and barbarism, old romance and new literary
realism.
○ Recent criticism says that we should define the ‘gothic’ as a mode of writing
to respond to contemporary conflicts and anxieties, for example how Dracula
deals with anxiety about reverse colonialism.
* Ann Radcliffe. The Mysteries of Udolpho. She was a pioneer of the Gothic genre and her novels are most notable for their
ability to infuse terror in the reader with Romantic sensibility.
** Matthew Gregory Lewis. The Monk. Often referred to as Matthew Gregory ‘Monk’ Lewis due to the success (and notoriety) of
his novel. Also a successful dramatist.
*** Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen.
2
, Gothic concepts
1. Liminal
2. Supernatural
3. Sublime
4. Obscurity
5. Opposites
6. Doppelganger
7. Horror/terror
8. Abhuman
9. Revenant
10.Taboo
11.Uncanny
12.Otherness
Gothic Concepts
3
