What is gothic literature?

Many books and articles have been written on this topic with deep research from learned academics and contributions from enthusiastic readers about how best to define gothic. What makes something gothic, as opposed to just being a spooky tale or more generally a horror novel?

There is no claim to a single definitive answer here. This article and its companion pieces summarise some of the most common and consistent views of how the gothic genre started in the western anglophone tradition, its recurring themes and characteristics, and how the genre has expanded and evolved.

What makes a fictional work gothic?

A dark decaying mansion with a locked room. A family secret from the past that no one wants to discuss. A stranger who seems unsettlingly familiar. A figure at the window of what is known to be an empty house.

Gothic stories are often most recognisable through their recurring images and themes, but also through how they make you feel. Building a sense of unease is key, creating a sense that something lies beneath or beyond the familiar or the rational. The origins of that unease and uncertainty may be psychological, supernatural or both. What is real, perception or delusion? Unreliable narrators and stories within stories can leave readers of gothic fiction unsure what to believe.

You can read a full list of themes here, from haunted houses and ghosts, to madness, nightmares and obsession.

What are the origins of gothic literature?

The term ‘gothic’ has a complicated history. It has its origins in European history and the ancient Germanic tribe known as the Goths, associated with the fall of the Roman Empire and rise of mediaeval western Europe. It was later used disparagingly to indicate something barbarous. Its literary use is closely associated with the gothic architecture that became the settings for early gothic works, rather than because of any more direct link.

Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, first published in 1764, is widely considered to be the first gothic novel. Initially presented as a translation of an older Italian manuscript, it tells the story of Manfred, prince of Otranto, and a family seemingly threatened by an ancient prophecy. A castle, secret passages, an imperilled young woman, family secrets and supernatural events established many of the elements that would become familiar features of gothic fiction.

Subsequent writers developed these elements in different directions. For example, Ann Radcliffe made uncertainty itself a source of terror, while Matthew Lewis pushed towards more explicit supernatural horror and transgression. It is worth noting there is some overlap between gothic and Romanticism that was also developing in the late eighteenth century, something that influenced the themes and elements of later writers such as Mary Shelley.

You can view a timeline here of canonical works, both novels and shorter stories, and their authors.

Why is gothic literature still popular today?

Gothic makes a good vehicle for exploring our fears and anxieties: and those haven’t gone away. This was true of earlier gothic works examining contexts of industrialisation, scientific progress, modernisation and social change.

Contemporary writers continue to reuse and subvert the established themes and conventions, and examine new anxieties, including technological, political and environmental threats and the ongoing impacts of colonialism.

Popularity of gothic beyond books has also helped, with iconic figures, such as vampires, spawning many film and television adaptations. More recent trends for dark academia settings or romantasy novels exploring morally grey characters also lend themselves well to incorporating gothic elements.

Where should I start?

These five well known works offer different starting points for exploring classic gothic literature.

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