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Gothic literature was created in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century, it embraced
the imaginary but was very different from other genres mainly in its focus on seemingly
supernatural events, it also dove into the dark side of human nature by going through people's
greatest fears, ruin and decay.
Gothic literature deals with the dark side of human nature and this theme is shown in
works like Edgar Allen Poe's ¨The Cask of Amontillado¨ and Mary Shelley´s Frankenstein, works
like this do not have very obvious horror but are cloaked in uncertainty and is stocked with
mysterious hooks that happen out of nowhere,passion over reason,and irrational fears,some
historians have even said that these works of this period is the writing of unconscious
nightmares which shows the feelings of dread and sorrow produced by the literature.Other
common gothic themes base themselves around ruin and decay, which is seen in Horace
Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto” and was published in 1764,which made Otranto’s work
credited as being the first true gothic novel, and this influenced other writers of his time.His work
established the gothic castle,had an intricate plot, supernatural occurrences, underground
passageways,and it also commenced the concept of “characters”,stereotypical personalities
such as women in distress,mad men, or villians that lurk in the shadows.
Ann Radcliffe was an influential Gothic writer whose works embodied the theme
of repressed desires, terror, and irrational fears. “​The Mysteries of Udolpho”​, one of her
most famous pieces, highlights supernatural occurrences throughout the text, however,
the mysterious events of this Gothic romance have rational explanations at the
end.Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's “​Frankenstein”, or the “Modern
Prometheus"​,published in 1818, and Robert Louis Stevenson's, “​The Strange Case of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”​ which was published in 1886, digs deeply into the motive of the
dark side of human nature. For Shelley, this involves seeking the mysteries of life by
creating a human monster as a scientific experiment. For Stevenson, this means
creating a character that drinks a potion, unleashing an immoral monster for a short
time. Hyde is a symptom of Jekyll's need to be an example to others and disassociate
himself from improper appetites. Both "monsters" arise out of science.Emily Brontë's
“​Wuthering Heights”​, published in 1847, is a tale of passion and cruelty that shocked
readers of the era. The love story of Catherine and Heathcliff on the wild moors, the
specter of Catherine's ghost, and Heathcliff's vindictiveness inhabit this dark yet
enduring novel.Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the house of Usher.” uses all of the
traditional Gothic symbols and themes are present in this short story. The house is
crumbling. Supernatural occurrences are present throughout the story, as Usher
believes he hears mysterious sounds coming from inside the house. Even the house
itself seems to embody the concept of an imprisoning vault, trapping Usher and his
sister inside. Most of all, though, this story delves into the darkness of the human soul,
brought about by the disease affecting Usher. It is through this madness that Usher
must face his irrational fears and realize that he buried his sister alive.
Unlike other literary periods when literature encompassed a common theme,
Gothic literature became its own genre,not just a period, but also a writing style. It
unearthed secrets and let minds wander into the territory of irrational fear.Gothic
classics endure, while new writers build upon these traditions. ​Wuthering Heights​ has
been filmed many times and the concept of ​Frankenstein​ has been rewritten by Dean
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Koontz and others. Movies have been made of the works of Poe, and his tales have a
wide following today. Bram Stoker's ​Dracula​, published in 1897, includes many of the
genre's standards, a mysterious castle, a tomb, shadows, danger, death, blood, a
woman in peril, and a mysterious woman who creeps about in the night stalking
children.Gothic literature continues to influence generations. From an Anne Rice novel
about a family of witches to teen vampire romances, the images that defined the Gothic
period are still easy to see. Gothic literature has evolved into something of a horror
genre, however, and may continue to change with the times, some would say for the
worst but it might just get better.