Features
of the Gothic Novel
The term
Gothic is used relating to Gothic architecture, sculpture or painting
of the 12th to 16th century in Western Europe. Being associated with medieval
times, Gothic has come to signify novels which
have, what is thought to be a typical medieval
setting: omens, gloomy or enchanted castles or monasteries, trap
doors, dungeons, haunted ruins and secret passages. The characters are typified;
dialogues and the characters' reactions are full of platitudes and clichés.
Often there is a virtuous protagonist opposed to one or more villains, or
a mysterious character whose secret past is revealed. The plot is embedded
into an atmosphere of mystery and chilling
terror.
Examples of the Typical Gothic Novel
Examples of Gothic novels
are:
- HORACE WALPOLE, The Castle of Otranto (1764),
- ANNE RADCLIFFE, The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794),
- MATTHEW GREGORY LEWIS, The Monk (1797),
- CLARE REEVE, The Old English Baron (1786),
- CHARLES ROBERT MATURIN, Melmoth the Wanderer (1820).
The following passage gives an impression of the kind of horror evoked by a Gothic narration:
"As the moon was now at its height, he read
in the countenances of this unhappy company the event he dreaded. 'What!
Is she dead?' Cried he in wild confusion - A clap of thunder at that
instant shook the castle to its foundations; the earth rocked, and the
clank of more than mortal armour was heard behind. Frederic and Jerome
thought the last day was at hand. The latter, forcing Theodore along with
them, rushed into the court. The moment Theodore appeared, the walls of
the castle behind Manfred were thrown down with a mighty force, and the
form of Alfonso, dilated to an immense magnitude, appeared in the centre
of the ruins. 'Behold in Theodore, the true heir of Alfonso!' said the
vision: and having pronounced those words, accompanied by a clap of thunder,
it ascended solemnly towards heaven, where the clouds parting asunder,
the form of Saint Nicholas was seen; and receiving Alfonso's shade, they
were soon wrapped from mortal eyes in a blaze of glory."
(Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto, final
scene)
Varieties of the Gothic Novel
Gothic in the broader
sense has been applied to narratives which, though lacking the
medieval setting, create an atmosphere of
gloom and terror:
- MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLEY, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus (1817);
- EDGAR ALLAN POE, Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1839-46);
- ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886);
or which display Gothic stock devices, e.g. mistaken or double identity, guilt, suspense and horror:
- e. g. the presentation of Miss Havisham in CHARLES DICKENS, Great Expectations (1861);
- CHARLES DICKENS, Bleak House (1852-53);
- ISAK DINESEN, Seven Gothic Tales (1934);
- STEPHEN KING's Carrie (1974) and Insomnia (1994) are examples of modern horror fiction;
- ROALD DAHL's Kiss Kiss (1959) uses elements of the macabre;
- CHARLOTTE BRONTË's Jane Eyre (1847) and EMILY BRONTË's Wuthering Heights (1847) are gothic romances;
- JANE AUSTEN's Northanger Abbey (1803/1818) ridicules gothic literature by contrasting it with real life; the heroine imagines herself living in a gothic setting.
MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLEY's Frankenstein is the incredible story of Victor Frankenstein, a Genevan student of science, who learns the secret of making dead material come alive. By constructing a creature, which is near-human, out of parts of dead bodies, he enters into the Faustian Pact (the thirst for knowledge which is followed by punishment): his ambition later turns on him, when the creature he has created runs out of control. Its monster-like appearance casts it into an outsider role. Out of hatred, it kills its creator, his brother and his bride.
Frankenstein can also be considered the first Science Fiction novel, as it deals with one of the basic themes of Science Fiction: man aims at outdoing nature and later meets with retribution.