The Gothic Novel

The Gothic NovelJames Ward, Gordale Scar, 1814, London, Tate Gallery.

It came to popularity at the end of the 18th centuryOnly Connect ... New DirectionsThe adjective Gothic three connotations Medieval, linked to thearchitecture of the 12th-14th centuries

Irregular, barbarous, opposed to Classicism

Wild, supernatural,in the sense of mysterious

1. The origin of the nameThe Gothic novel

Only Connect ... New Directions

Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe 18th-century societyIndustrial exploitationDestruction of the single human being

Man as a slave to forces he could not control

Gothic symbols as denunciation of social problems

2. InfluencesThe Gothic novel


Only Connect ... New Directions2. InfluencesThe Gothic novelAs a celebration of terror

As a rejection of constraints and limits

As exploration of forbidden areasThe sublime


Great importance given to terror, characterised by obscurity and uncertainty, and horror, caused by evil and atrocity.

Darkness necessary ingredient for the mysterious, gloomy atmosphere.

Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe Gothic novel3. The settingJonathan Barry, Udolpho Castle, 1993, private collection.


Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe Gothic novel3. The settingAncient settings isolated castles and mysterious abbeys with hidden passages, underground cellars, secret rooms.

Catholic countries as the setting for the most terrible crimes, due to Protestant prejudices against Catholicism.A drawing depicting the Gothic staircase at Strawberry Hill, near London.


Characters dominated by exaggerated reactions in front of mysterious situations or events.

Supernatural beings vampires, monsters and ghosts.Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe Gothic novel4. The charactersHenry Fuseli (Johann Heinrich Fssli), The Nightmare, 1781, Goethe Museum, Frankfurt


Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe Gothic novel4. The charactersSensitive heroes they save heroines.

Heroines stricken by unreal terrors and persecuted by the villains.

Satanic, terrifying male characters, victims of their negative impulses.Henry Fuseli (Johann Heinrich Fssli), The Nightmare, 1781, Goethe Museum, Frankfurt


Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe Gothic novel5. The language

Semantic areasWordsMystery enchantment, ghost, haunted, infernal, magic, secret, spectre, vision Fear/ Terror/ Sorrow agony, anguish, apprehensions, despair, dread, fearing, frightened, hopeless, horror, melancholy, miserable, panic, sadly, scared, shrieks, sorrow, tears, terror, unhappy, wretched Hasteanxious, breathless, frantic, hastily, impatient, running, suddenly Angeranger, enraged, furious, rage, resentment, wrathLargenessenormous, gigantic, large, tremendous, vast


Horace Walpole The Castle of Otranto (1764)

Ann Radcliffe The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)

Matthew Lewis The Monk (1796)

Mary Shelley Frankenstein (1818)

Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe Gothic novel6. First Gothic authors


Great interest during the 18th century common to all strata of society.

The features of Gothic novels preserved in modern and contemporary descendents of this genre in the works of:Charlotte BronteE. A. PoeR. L. StevensonBram Stoker

Only Connect ... New DirectionsThe Gothic novel7. Popularity


***The 18 cent. is an age of contradictions in the first part of the century literature is based on reason and rationality, in the second part intellectuals and writers tend to give more importance to imagination and emotions.Reason was not a valid aid to solve the social problems of the age so people are attracted to feelings and deep emotions. In the novels by Richardson we find the first reference to a psychological insight of the characters, the action has a second role. There is a revival for the past times especially the Middle Ages which is seen a gloomy period full of superstitions and fantastic worlds. There is a common interest for the irrationality and the deep and obscure worlds of human psyche and the supernatural elements. People are attracted by the Gothic in arts and literature.The concept of sublime worked out by E. Burke contributed to the development of the new type of the novel: the Gothic fiction.He stated that every object or situation which arouses fear and pain in our souls is sublime. It is the sublime of terror and terror becomes the main element in gothic fiction and it is linked to obscurity, infinite, irrationality. ****There is a similarity between the characters of the sentimental novels and those of the gotheic ones. Both these types of novels are based on the psychological insight of their heroes and heroines , what matters is not the action, the plot but the feelings, the emotions, the secrets of the characters and their thoughts and involvement. There is a link between the characters feelings and the setting which mirrors their fears and terror. The Gothic fiction is characterized by gloomy, obscure and mysterious atmosphere symbolized by isolated and deserted castles, ruins, and abbeys.The main male character is the typical villain belonging to the aristocracy a sort of decadent world and he is aware of his social superiority and knows his tendence to evil. The main difference between the sentimental characters and the gothic ones is that the latter are not aware of the border between good and evil and they live lonely and isolated in the society, like outcasts.***They founded a school where established the main features of the gothic fiction, it was called the school of terror. *Gothic fiction developed in different kinds of novels in the 19 and 20 centuries, the detective stories, the ghost story, the novel of terror and horror. The most important interpretation of this fiction is that explained through psychoanalysys according to which obscurity is associated to unconsciousness, the deep and secret rooms and desolated castles represent the deep side of the psyche, the dream or nightmare is seen as the only means to live the sublime experiences caused by instincts hidden in the individuals mind.

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The Gothic Novel