Gothic is an umbrella term used in Literature to group horror, romance, fantasy and mystery. Gothic fiction usually has an eerie, unsettling undertone running through it no matter the sub-genre. The Gothic rose to prominence as a way of rebelling against the age of enlightenment which focused on science, technology and logic. Gothic fiction lends itself to the unpredictability of the psyche, emotions, desires and the supernatural.
Famous Gothic authors include Anne Radcliffe, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Wilkie Collins, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe and Daphe du Maurier. Gothic fiction explores the depths of the human psyche by revealing repressed desires, forbidden relationships, a decaying mind or a tormented hero.
Below I’ll show you the most common tropes associated with the three main Gothic subgenres:
Key themes found in Gothic stories:
- Isolation. This can be both literal and metaphorical. Not all Gothic stories have to take place in an abandoned castle. Frances Bryant is isolated from her family in The Spider but she is still in the same townhouse in the centre of a busy city. Eleanor Vance in the Haunting Of Hill House becomes psychologically isolated from her peers when she senses that the house is calling to her. Isolation of spirit counts just as much as isolation of the body.
- A locked door. This can be both literal and metaphorical. The locked door is a common trope in Gothic fiction: Bertha Rochester living in the attic in Jane Eyre, H.G Wells’ The Red Room, and of course the numerous doors in The Haunting Of Hill House and Dracula. I didn’t even notice I’d done this in The Spider, but hey, Gothic habits die hard. In a metaphorical sense, the locked door can be a symbol of the character’s mind refusing to accept things, or their struggle with facing what’s behind the door. In Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the Haunting Of Hill House, the red room was very much representative of the heart of the house, where it would consume those it desired.
- The Supernatural The house is haunted, but this ghost is part of a bigger picture. The spirits of the house are instrumental in the unravelling of the mystery of The Spider. In Wuthering Heights, the ghost of Cathy sets the tone for the rest of the tale, and what makes it particularly haunting is that there is no resolution: she will continue haunting. The same goes for The Woman In Black: Arthur Kipps attempts to apply logic and reason, but the supernatural wins. The supernatural e.g. Dracula, also provides an excellent, timeless portrayal of the battle between good and evil.
- The Byronic hero. Named after Lord Byron himself, the Byronic hero usually lives a reclusive life outside of the town or city. The Byronic hero can have a mysterious allure despite living like a hermit. Byronic heroes are often troubled by their memories or emotions and have a tendency to self-destruct.
- Forbidden Desires. Dorian Gray comes to mind immediately here. He is an excellent example of man’s inner struggle to stay on the straight and narrow, and failing. Moral decay in order to obtain forbidden desires is a prevalent theme running through Gothic horror particularly. Dorian wishes to be young forever, and he can do that as long as his hideous, decaying soul is locked away from sight. We also have forbidden desires such as the desire Manfred has for his daughter-in-law in The Castle Of Otranto. This was an absolute no-no (unless you were a Hapsburg), but things we know are wrong can reign freely in Gothic fiction, and that’s part of why it’s so compelling—it holds a mirror up to the darkest shadows of society.
Other less common tropes that are dark and Gothic:
I’m also going to lump the ‘I can change him!’ trope in here: the female character pursues the wicked male love interest because she believes that deep down, there is goodness. There never was, and there never will be. Heathcliff was not husband material: Cathy knew it and Isabella Linton eventually learned. See also: Mary Hobbs in The Spider.
Dark romance often verges on Gothic because of the incompatibility of the characters (different social class or race in fantasy for example) or the demand from one for the other to isolate themselves from their friends and family. Dark romance and the Gothic can overlap when it comes to: lust, obsession, toxic relationships and curses or love spells. These features directly contrast with healthy relationships, reason, equality self-respect and happy marriages as well as courtly love and chivalry.
What is Gothic Romance?
Gothic romance does not necessarily mean ‘romance’ in the contemporary sense. It can mean the romanticism of the landscape, the mood or the characters. Wuthering Heights is a Gothic romance, but as for romantic? Not so much. Gothic romance usually blends intense, brooding settings and characters with tormented heroes or villains. The romance is usually centred on forbidden desires, lust and vulnerable heroines navigating dangerous atmospheric settings. As Gothic stories rose to prominence in the 18th and 19th century, we need to remember that things such as sex outside of marriage, relationships out of class or female characters with strong desires and impulses were taboo.
What is Gothic Horror ?
Gothic horror sometimes blends with Gothic romance to create an intense, foreboding atmosphere. Think crumbling or neglected mansions in The Fall of The House Of Usher and Jane Eyre. These brooding settings are full of shadows and forbidden rooms. Gothic horror can also include supernatural creatures, even though this isn’t compulsory: Carmilla and Dracula are just as much Gothic Horror as The Yellow Wallpaper. Ghosts remain a classic staple of Gothic Horror novels; The Woman In Black, The Silent Companions, The Spider and The Haunting Of Hill House are all examples of this.
What is Gothic Mystery?
This is a subgenre that blends the crime novel with mystery and Gothic themes. Wilkie Collins was a master of this blend: In The Woman In White there are no ghosts, just crippling family secrets and scandals trying to haunt the protagonists. The overarching mystery is littered with clues that put the heroine Marian Halcombe in danger, and the villains hide in the shadows of half-neglected mansions.
What is Gothic fantasy?
Similar to Gothic romance, Gothic fantasy features moody, oppressive atmospheres and decaying mansions or civilisations. The castle in a Gothic fantasy novel can be character in itself, just as the setting seems to be alive and responsive to character emotions in Gothic literature. Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast trilogy is considered classic Gothic fantasy. Gothic fantasy can also feature the doppelganger, the supernatural, isolated locations and unreliable narrators.
You can read more about the difference between Gothic horror and horror here.
Hanna Delaney is a Gothic Horror author from Liverpool. She is the author of many books including Oceanus, a science fiction mystery inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the supernatural Muldoon Gothic Mysteries series.
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