I like reading and learning about gothic fiction a little too much 

We all have a fear, right? That thing that makes you jump in the night at the sound of the slightest creek in the house. We try to hide from fear, but we love participating in activities that make us face it. We face our fears through activities like, Halloween, watching horror movies and going to haunted houses. I believe all of our fascination with the more eerie side of life comes from a genre that has a long history in exploring the more unsettling parts of life. 

The genre I am talking about is gothic fiction. I love gothic fiction, and the evolution of the genre is fascinating. What drew me to the genre was the old decaying castles, the supernatural elements and not knowing what will come next. 

Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel “The Castle of Otranto” is considered the first gothic and horror novel. Walpole in this book would introduce many of the staples of the genre such as a haunted castle, the supernatural, damsel in distress and violence. 

After the publication of “The Castle of Otranto” many books would be published that followed in its footsteps. “The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Romantic Period” says this about the rising popularity of gothic fiction, “By the 1790s novels trading on horror, mystery, and faraway settings flooded the book market; meanwhile in theaters new special effects were devised to incarnate ghostly apparitions onstage.” 

Ann Radcliffe, also known as “The Great Enchantress,” mixed terror with romance. 

She became one of the key gothic writers and an influence to many. Radcliffe wrote five novels, with “The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1794) seen as an essential piece of gothic writing. 

Radcliffe’s gothic romances usually followed female protagonists who encounter the supernatural in isolated settings. But the supernatural she encounters always seems to have a logical explanation like the end of a “Scooby- Doo” episode. 

In 1796 “The Monk” by Matthew Gregory Lewis (fun fact: he was 19 when he wrote it) was published and became a bestseller. What made “The Monk” famous and a popular book was its elements of violence and horror. 

More insight on why “The Monk” is seen as an essential part of gothic history can be found in “The Norton Anthology,” “Within The Monk, mob violence competes with Ambrosio’s bloodlust as a source for horror, suggesting how Gothic stories, even when set in distant pasts and places, may have allowed the readers and writers of the 1790s to work through timely anxieties about power of crowds and the threat of revolution.” 

Even though the genre was popular with the general public, it was not taken seriously by critics. Some people found the genre immoral, sensational and violent. The genre also attracted a large female base. 

A great example of the public perception of gothic fiction can be found in Jane Austen’s satire of the genre (“The Mysteries of Udolpho” is featured heavily) “Northanger Abbey” (1817). Austen defends both the novel and gothic fiction. The main character, Catherine Moreland, is a huge fan of the genre and her frequent reading of it makes her blur the lines between reality and fiction. 

One example of how gothic fiction was considered a lower form of literature can be seen in Catherine’s conversation with John Thorpe. As the conversation develops Catherine learns John’s opinion of her taste in books, “Udolpho! Oh Lord! Not I; I never read novels; I have something else to do.” 

As we move into the Victorian period we see the genre explode in books. Some of the most well known pieces of gothic literature came out during this time. Emily and Charlotte Bronte would bring us “Wuthering Heights” (my favorite book) and “Jane Eyre” both in 1847. 

25 years before Bram Stoker gave us “Dracula,” Sheridan Le Fanu published “Carmilla” (1871-1872). “Carmilla” is seen as an influential work when it comes to books that feature vampires. 

Lauren Nitschke in the article “How Did Victorian England Create Gothic Literature” suggests the genre’s tradition of embracing taboo subjects as a reason why it blossomed in the repression of the Victorian era. 

Nitschke specifically highlights Charlotte Bronte writing, “English author Bronte knew all too well how society in Victorian England viewed women who diverged from the societal norm as projected by Queen Victoria, which was to be a faithful wife and productive childbearer first and foremost.” Robert Louis Stevenson would explore the duality of man and descent into evil in his classic story “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1886). A story that has been adapted numerous times. 

Gothic literature has an ever evolving history that I hope to cover in a future article. Remember to always keep the nightlight on!