Genre focus: Gothic literature

A genre that goes by many names and has a whole heap of sub-genres to explore, gothic literature is a heavy-hitter, with many examples, influences and admirers over the literary world. Loosely linked by a focus on fear, horror, or sometimes otherworldly creatures, gothic literature aims to unsettle readers and highlight the macabre.

Spooky castles, ghouls and candelabras seem to spring to mind – but in this blog post, we’ll be covering the genre’s origins, popular examples and key features from the genre. Grab your torches, brush away those cobwebs, and let’s get clued in on crypts, creatures and more!

History of gothic literature

Emerging as a response to the Age of Enlightenment literary movement and its focus on scientific advancement, Gothic literature’s roots can be traced back even earlier than its ‘proper’ beginnings in the 18th century. Morality and rationality remain as key focal points of gothic texts, coming from a time when many were perturbed by the change in societal norms.

The Gothic Revival, an architectural movement which emerged in the Middle Ages, and its moody, mediaeval buildings match the tone of many gothic texts. With a classic example of gothic literature, The Castle of Ontranto, being based on one of the author’s nightmares in his gothic-style home. In fact, a lot of gothic texts are inspired by dreams or nightmares – like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus or Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight novels.

Gothic writers usually call back to medieval or other time periods, reflecting on torture, barbarism, mysticism and other belief systems. Again, those architectural constructions are also a good way of signifying extra hidden details about character – like dilapidated buildings reflecting a decaying mental state or a villainous character representing evil…

What is gothic literature?

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, created many key concepts which align closely with gothic literature, especially a focal point of the uncanny. There are many different tropes used by authors to convey these ideas – like beasties and other unworldy creatures such as vampires, werewolves and more, or even specific moods and themes like death, terror or the undead – usually as parallels to human emotion and thought!

Key features of gothic literature

Fear, a looming supernatural influence and the influence of the past are often used in gothic literature as central themes. Especially in the early days of gothic literature as an emerging movement, common settings included graveyards or crypts, castles and religious buildings. Often used to reemphasize topics like murder, vengeance or evil spirits, these settings also hint at social, psychological or societal conflicts.

Examples of gothic literature

As the genre is such a stalwart, there are plenty of great examples out there of gothic literature, below are just a few:

• Thornhill by Pam Smy
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Ruins Of Contracoeur by Joyce Carol Oates
• What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

Coffin break!

That was a rather brief nose-to-tail of the gothic literature genre. There is an awful lot of gothic media out there, such as TV shows and films, too – so if you’d like to learn more, definitely immerse yourself in those!