A History of Gothic Literature

The Castle of Otranto is considered the first work of gothic fiction due to its establishment of gothic tropes, such as the supernatural, old castles, secret passages, paintings moving on their own, and doors closing by themselves. The latter part of the 18th century saw an explosion of gothic literature. Ann Radcliffe’s works were some of the most popular in the 1790s. Her novels, such as The Romance of the Forest, and The Mysteries of Udolpho, were considered to be of a more feminine style, where rationality prevailed, instead of supernatural horror. The supernatural events in her novels ended up having mundane explanations. Early Gothic works often had medieval settings. Ancient castles perfectly contributed to the themes of entrapment and constraint in these stories. In fact, Gothic literature is associated with the Gothic Revival architecture of the period. Gothic writers associated old medieval buildings with what they thought as a terrifying period – characterized by harsh laws and mysterious, torturous and superstitious rituals. The medieval settings of extreme beauty in Gothic works reflect the genre’s appreciation of extreme emotions and the sublime. Sources: #:~:text=Gothic fiction began as a,deriving from the Middle Ages #history #:~:text=The eighteenth-century Gothic novel,of popularity in the 1790s Music: Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony For Strings In C Minor, Op 110a Mahler - Symphony No. 7 in E Minor - Scherzo