Gothic Literature Essays and Research Papers

In Gothic literature the importance of setting and place is greatly influential. This investigation compares two gothic narratives, “The Castle of Otranto” (1764) by Horace Walpole and “Dracula” (1897) by Bram Stoker. This research essay considers how setting and place are established, how they are applicable to the gothic genre and how they contribute to…

Gothic literature became prominent in the latter half of the 18th century and grew more popular throughout the 19th century. Gothic novels consist of multiple themes and tropes mostly dealing with vice, and decay. However, there are novels like Lady Caroline Lamb’s, Glenarvon, that employs the femme fatal character, death, supernaturalism, melodrama and many other…

In 1764 Horace Walpole released The Castle of Otranto. The story was the world’s first gothic novel; it combined elements of the supernatural, horror, and romance to terrify readers. Audiences found Walpole’s book to be thrilling and were captivated by the originality of its overblown and dramatic storyline. The book was so widely popular that…

Forever I will have the introduction “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,” (Poe, The Raven) engrained into my mind. Such an iconic writer that introduced a style of writing in which only gained fame upon his death. Edgar Allan Poe writing fiction based; Southern Gothic literature established a path for…

The Gothic was a mode of writing that sprung from the Romantic period as a reaction to the Enlightenment. It uses the same Romantic concepts such as subjectivity, emotion, and human psychology, however, it adds dark and mysterious undertones. Though the genre originally came from Great Britain in the 18th century, American writers adjusted the…

In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, the author, portrays a mad scientist named Victor Frankenstein, which his goal was to successfully create life. When he finally succeed, he is frighten, and ran away from his creation. The next day, when he saw that the monster was gone, he was relieved. Little did he know, his…

The story of “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe is full of conflict from beginning to end. Being that this is said to be one of Poe’s best pieces, it contains a chilling plot weaving themes tied to character, setting, and a haunting narrative voice. Montresor makes a vow of revenge against Fortunato…

Dangerously knowledge is a prominently seen theme in Frankenstein. In Frankenstein we see the search for leaving and knowledge in three major characters, Victor, Frankenstein, Robert Walton, and the creature. From the beginning of time until now the limitless pursuit of knowledge reveals man’s weakness. Modern society provides humans with a wide variety of sources…

The Victorian Era was a period characterized by strict standards on how people were supposed to behave and this was heavily evident in the aristocracy of London. Throughout the gothic novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the protagonist Dr. Jekyll struggles to contain his alternative personality,…

There are several elements of Gothic fiction that are both similar, and different between “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “A Rose for Emily”. “The Fall of the House of Usher” has incest, burials of live people, and some elements of decay. Likewise, “A Rose for Emily” also has many elements of Gothic…