Gothic romance

 

 Gothic romance is the type of novel that flourished in the late 18th and early 19th century in England and has had a considerable influence on the evolution of ghost stories, horror stories and fiction. Gothic romances were also known as the novel of terror for  its supernatural aspects and mysterious plot leading to the dark underworld where an innocent heroine is tormented by an uncouth and lustful villain. The setting of the novel is usually dark and gloomy, either medieval ruins or haunted castles.

One of the prototypes of this genre is Tobias Smollett’s Ferdinand Count Fathom (1753).The pioneer of this genre was Horace Walpole, whose novel The Castle of Otranto: a Gothic Story became very popular at that time. His legacy was carried on by novelists like Ann Radcliffe, in her The Mysteries of Udolpho, William Beckford (Vathek), Matthew Gregory Lewis (The Monk), William Godwin and other notable gothic writers. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is considered the progenitor of horror films and Science Fiction. Later, this particular genre, especially, Mrs. Radcliffe’s work was satirized by Jane Austen in her novel, Northanger Abbey.

 

Features of a Gothic Romance

     A  gloomy castle as a setting

Furnished with dungeons , moats and secret passages.

A typical story of an innocent damsel in distress, tortured by a lustful and cruel villain.

Mysterious disappearances, supernatural occurrences, and ominous incidents.

The purpose of the novelist is to evoke spine chilling horror by presenting various types of scary accessories.

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