Characteristics of a Gothic Novel

Characteristics of the Gothic Novel

The term Gothic novel broadly refers to stories that combine elements from horror and romanticism. The Gothic novel often deals with supernatural events, or events occurring in nature that cannot be easily explained or over which man has no control, and it typically follows a plot of suspense and mystery.
List of some common elements found in Gothic novels:

• Gloomy, decaying setting (haunted houses or castles with secret passages, trapdoors, and other mysterious architecture)

• Supernatural beings or monsters (ghosts, vampires, zombies, giants)

• Curses or prophecies

• Damsels in distress

• Heroes

• Romance

• Intense emotions

The Appeal of the Taboo

The Gothic literary movement emerged in the 19th century but unlike many other literary movements, our society is still fascinated by it. But where does this fascination stem from? What is it about the Gothic that still captures our attention?

The Gothic's exploration of the taboo is what draws us to it like a moth to a flame. For centuries humanity has been obsessed with the taboo or the forbidden. There is something so appealing about the idea of the forbidden evidenced by the fact that we have created hundreds and thousands of books, shows, and films about it. And it is not only a recent phenomenon. No, we have been obsessed with stories regarding the forbidden since the dawn of time. Take for example stories such as Adam and Eve or Pandora’s Box – they both have survived the test of time and one of the reasons for this is their exploration of the forbidden.

In my opinion, we all have some ‘dark’ section in our mind where we hide all of our ‘taboo’ and ‘forbidden’ thoughts and ideas. We push them in there, try to forget about them and hope that they disappear.

But when the Gothic comes along, it allows us to explore what these taboos could be like in real life without actually having to commit the taboos. The Gothic allows us, the audience, to open Pandora’s Box without having to suffer the repercussions.

And that is one of the reasons why the Gothic prevails to this day. 

My initial reaction upon reading A Picture of Dorian Grey was of shock towards the amount of cynical thoughts that are passed off simply as ‘normal’ within the text. It seems the state of mind in gothic literature is naturally very dark and gloomy- a cynical outlook on the world seems to be the default outlook.

This default cynicism seen in gothic novels is not a normal state of mind to have in modern-day. This strange cynicism and different outlook on the world subsequently interests the reader, making them question their own world with a new, previously unthought of perspective on issues or ideas. 

 

This casual approach to otherwise shocking revelations adds to the effect of the statements in question. The idea of having a fake identity, death, an atmosphere of mystery and suspense and supernatural occurrences (as represented above with the painting) all within the novel are intensified with the cynical and gloomy nature to which they are written.