![]() ![]() ![]() Within the first chapter, readers encounter a prophecy, the supernatural, a beautiful virgin, a dutiful, abandoned wife, a persecuted maiden, ridiculous servants, a young, handsome peasant, and a ghost, all set within the labyrinthine corridors of the eponymous castle. In the words of Robert Spector, the ensuing events, “provided all the machinery of the genre its setting, theme, and subversive subject matter remained the stock material of the Gothic whatever changes it underwent” (9). ![]() Manfred, having only this one heir and a wife incapable of bearing additional children, immediately sets upon Isabella with the aim of taking her as his own wife. But its core elements of moody settings, altered mental states, and disturbing imagery remain persistent and relevant.In the opening pages of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764), Manfred, whom readers will come to recognize as a definitive Gothic villain, sends a servant to fetch his son, Prince Conrad, who is to marry the Lady Isabella however, the servant discovers Conrad crushed to death beneath an impossibly large, black-plumed helmet. The gothic genre has evolved over centuries, becoming more stylistically and thematically adventurous. Cemetery Boys, by transgender author Aiden Thomas, is about a relationship between two young men, one of whom is a gay, transgender Cuban American. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic is set in a Mexican mountain town and features a mestiza heroine, while The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, by Kiersten White, also includes a female protagonist, as it reimagines a classic gothic novel from the perspective of a woman. White Is for Witching, by Helen Oyeyemi, integrates Caribbean folklore into the story, while Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward, uses gothic elements to expose the injustices perpetrated against Black people in the American South. Many contemporary gothic novels are self-consciously challenging these assumptions by celebrating diversity, gender, sexuality, and inclusivity. The genre’s historical roots in Colonial America and Victorian England can make the stories seem divorced from modern issues. The unsettling atmospheres of gothic novels also make the genre ripe for thrillers such as The Boy at the Keyhole by Stephen Giles, and The Long Weekend, by Savita Kalhan, both of which feature preteen protagonists. ![]() Similarly, Anna Dressed in Blood is a young adult horror novel by Kendare Blake about a teenage ghost hunter and contains magic, ghosts, and mayhem. White Crow, by Marcus Sedgwick, features traditional gothic elements, including morbid imagery and gloomy atmospherics. The gothic genre often includes a sinister atmosphere that evokes an overall feeling of horror. Overall, the supernatural aspects of gothic literature have deep roots in the genre that continue into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Dead of Winter, by Chris Priestley, and The Girl from the Well, by Rin Chupeco, feature another classic element of gothic literature: ghosts. A vampire story, the novel’s characters vividly portray human emotions as they confront love, death, and the desire for family connection. Anne Rice’s 1976 debut novel, Interview with the Vampire, was a groundbreaking work of supernatural literature. In Novels for Students, volume 68, the supernatural elements are exemplified in works such as Interview with the Vampire, The Girl from the Well, and The Dead of Winter. Gothic literature takes many forms, including supernatural, horror, mystery, and thriller. You are invited to explore the dark, haunted realms of gothic literature with Novels for Students, volume 68, a themed volume that covers a diverse selection of titles from the genre. The genre has shown a remarkable persistence and ability to evolve since its inception in the nineteenth century, and it typically strives to unsettle the reader, often confronting them with disturbing elements of death, dreams, and decay against a backdrop that relies heavily on the weight of past tragic events. Gothic literature is a genre that relies on dark, disturbing imagery atmospheric settings and unnerving plot points to induce discomfort in the reader. ![]()
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