Category: Gothic Literature

The word Gothic comes from the Middle Ages. The Goths were East Germanic people. They were violent and brutal. They were not civilized. Goths played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire. When we think of the 18th century we can see two things; one is The Enlightenment and the other is…

Bram Stoker and WW Jacobs are both writers of Gothic Literature. Bram Stoker wrote ‘Draculas Guest’, sadly it was published in 1914 two years after his death. WW Jacobs wrote the story ‘Monkey’s Paw’, which was written in 1902. Both stories use a variety of techniques that create suspense and tension. ‘Monkey’s Paw’ is a…

Modern writing has changed time and time again throughout the centuries. Arguably, one of the biggest influences for modern writing was gothic literature. Gothic literature was such a dramatic change from many previous works due to its dark, mysterious, melancholy tone. This different approach to writing allowed authors to express themselves in a different way…

The fall of the House of Usher and House Taken Over are two stories we have read so far. These stories have similar stories with the whole house being taken over by a mysterious entity. Although both stories are technically different genres with The Fall of the House of Usher being gothic literature and House…

Edgar Allan Poe is a 19th century American writer, he mostly uses gothic elements in his literary works. One of his literary work which includes gothic elements is The Cask of Amontillado. The Cask of Amontillado is about a man, Montresor, who wants to take revenge from one of his friends, Fortunato, because Fortunato insults…

Gothic fiction rapidly gained popularity during the nineteenth century and continues to appeal to contemporary readers. The postmodern genre that composes of various elements in provoking distinct emotions of fear and anticipation, this follows the theme of horror, thriller and romance. Gothic literature allows readers to understand the character different perspectives in the story, allowing…

The few elements that make up Gothic literature, sexuality contributes to many themes of novels. While being such a controversial topic, especially during the Victorian era, many authors continued push this element in their works. Two novels that really concentrated on the theme of sexuality was Carmilla written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and Dracula…

This essay will examine the representation of doubles in Irish Gothic literature and its thematic significance. For the purpose of this essay when invoking the phrase Gothic, I am referring to the definition of Gothic as a genre of fiction characterized by suspenseful, sensational plots involving supernatural or macabre elements and often having a medieval…

The late 1700s birthed a gothic intensity, a genre; it brought out the dark minds of horror, the reality, the eyes who saw the darkness, and the sensual desires one has. It created sub-categories of the most terrifying horror stories in time with the help of authors such as Stephen King or Tim Burton. A…

Gothicism is defined as a style in fictional literature characterized by gloomy settings, violent or grotesque action, and a mood of decay, degeneration, and decadence. This style of writing can be found in numerous different pieces of literature. An example of literature that uses this is Edgar Allen Poes The Fall of the House of…