The Gothic

Gothic mainly refers to a genre of literature that encompasses elements of both horror and romance, making it exciting and enticing for the reader. 

Book Covering
'The Castle of Otranto' by Horace Walpole
Written 1764
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This movement in literature is thought to have been initiated by Horace Walpole with his publication of the novel 'The Castle of Otranto' . Other Authors prominent amidst the early 19th century can also be accredited to the genres popularity including Ann Radcliffe, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley among others. 

The Gothic is also largely associated with architecture, specifically the Gothic revival as a backlash against the introduction of very simple, modernised buildings in the 1800s. Such buildings were very much about excess and were very elaborate in style. Take for example Salisbury cathedral, which exudes majesty and decadence in its structure. Authors would use buildings such as these to fuel their writings.

Salisbury Castle
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My understanding of Gothic is that it inspires a set of emotions including fear and awe as swell as the sublime and thrill. Quest for atmosphere is very much the intention of gothic architecture and writings. 


Gothic novels often touched upon contemporary fears, for example wealth, poverty, squalor and illness. Common features & motifs within Gothic novels included;
- Exotic landscapes
- Distant lands
- The innocent abandoned 
- The Mysterious Stranger
- Transformation
- Unknown places
- Clashing time periods
- A world of doubt
- Terror vs Horror
- Sexual Power
- The uncanny
- The Gortesque
- The Supernatural & Real
- The sublime
- Crisis