The Develoment of the Horror Genre

It will examine in deeper detail two aspects of the novels: the writing style and setting in order to show how the Gothic genre has developed and evolved and how it has affected the works mentioned previously. The aim of this paper is to explore the ways in which Stoker has used traditional Gothic elements and what he has contributed to this genre. The writing style is a tool to create fear and horror but there are some differences in how it is used in Early and in Victorian Gothic. Authors like Ann Radcliffe used suggestion, sensibility and suspense to provoke terror. She did not descr... ... middle of paper ... ...characteristics of both genres and others that make that Dracula diverges from typical Early Gothic novels.

Just before he starts to tell his story, he tells Robert Walton that his story has "unparalleled misfortunes" and that he has "memories of evil" this is meant to strike fear into the reader and into Robert Walton, it shows that Victor Frankenstein is deeply horrified with what has happened to him. There is also evil in this story a... ... middle of paper ... ...ypical through out all of the book. I believe that Frankenstein is definitely a horror story and that it is also a Gothic story, because it has many features that are typical of these genres. I do not believe that they are the main genres though, as the Romantic genre is a lot more dominant in this novel. I believe that this is mainly because of the time period that it was set in, as it was written in 1818, and this was when people were starting to discard the horror genre, and they were starting to believe in nature.

Fear is a guiding force in both the short stories and the fixation the main characters with it only leads to their demise. With both terror and the supernatural being common conventions in most gothic fiction Gothic Fiction is a popular genre of literature that’s aim is to combine horror, fiction and romanticism. It originated in 18th century England and was said to have been founded through Horace Walpole’s novel “The Castle of Otranto” (Hughes). He claimed it to be a “found” medieval manuscript which added to its popular, although he later admitted it was a lie (Hughes). This mode of literature appears to have sprung out from Gothic architecture... ... middle of paper ... ...th possess conventions commonly demonstrated in gothic fiction surrounding setting, atmosphere and theme.

The term ‘gothic’ was originally used to describe both type of Art and Architecture. Gothic novels were given a genre of their own primarily because of their emotional extremes and their dark themes and because it’s most natural settings were things like castles and monasteries which were part of the typical gothic architecture. Some of the first gothic novels included ‘The Castle of Otranto’ and ‘Byronic Hero’. By about 1840, the gothic genre had played itself out and this was partly due to writers who were developing the genre into the horror fiction that it later morphed into. The gothic genre did, however, have a long lasting effect and it led to a Victorian craze for ghost stories and it also had an influence on Charles Dickens who read gothic novels when he was younger and he later put the gothic melodrama and gloomy atmosphere into his own books.

Though many people in our time may never fully appreciate what the Gothic era gave to us, or understand the dark themes they present I will. The Gothic era just like the many horror movies and books that I love so much the Gothics have a way of pulling a person like me completely into the story they are trying to provide to us as the reader. Gothic literature helps us to exercise our minds by making us dig deep and determine our own inner truths and fears. With this idea we need to learn to broaden our perspectives and to think critically of the piece, rather than basing our judgments off of just what it is that we are reading. The use of extreme and dramatic emotions in Gothic writings really makes us as the reader think about how the reading affects us on the insid... ... middle of paper ... ...King.

Finally, if Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto is the true beginning of gothic fiction, did the story influence all works after The Castle of Otranto was published? Gothic fiction can be summarized as a mixture of horror fiction and romance fiction. Horror fiction evokes intense fear, dread, or dismay inside the reader. Romantic fiction also influences gothic fiction by the use of specific characters, emotional connections, and love. The supernatural taking a pivotal role in horror fiction, and the character Pennywise creates an intense connection with the reader using appearance and the emotional reaction to childhood memories.

Gothic novels were a type of fiction that became popular in England during the 1700’s and early 1800’s (Dunn 279). Gothic novels were mysteries that often involved the supernatural and heavily filled with horror (?). Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein was one of the most prominent Gothic novels in the time of the Romantics (?). According to Frank J. Dunn, “In the 1800’s, elements of the Gothic novel appeared in other forms of fiction that shared its interest in the terrible and the exotic (279).” Gothic novels follow a set of many characteristics and aspects that help define what it truly is. Gothic novels have many different characteristics: they evoke terror both physical and psychological, they have character that keep themselves isolated in time or space from contemporary l... ... middle of paper ... ... Shelley’s Frankenstein truly displays the true essence of what a Gothic novel should represent through the many different characteristics of a Gothic novel.

The romanticized view of Gothic literature has influenced many by its gloomy atmosphere of metaphorical elements. Gothic Literature, also known as Gothic Horror, combines elements of horror, romanticism, and supernatural events. The beginning of Gothic Literature began in the 18th century “during the medieval times” where it was “a strong source of inspiration” , which influenced many of the authors setting choices such as the use of castles and monasteries. Horace Walpole, author of The Castle of Otranto, is known to be the first author of Gothic Romance making “use of the medieval Gothic architecture styles and design” (Lad 1). Differentiating from other genres of novels, Gothic novel express emotions of isolation, fear, despair, and suspense.

HG Wells, although primarily a science-fiction author, also wrote a gothic horror story, "The Red Room". I will be comparing these two stories, to see how these ... ... middle of paper ... ...t be too lightly dismissed. These two stories are particularly interesting because they were both written by authors who aren't normally associated with the genre, so they have explored the clichés more than a seasoned horror writer might. But despite being so blatantly "influenced" by genre standards such as Henry James' The Turn Of The Screw and work of M.R. James, they remain gripping.

Gothic fiction is a genre of literature consisting of horror, darkness, death, terror, castles and many other horrific elements to create suspense and to engage the reader. During the 18th century this specific genre became popular with the novel “The Castle of Otranto”, and later on developed into other known stories such as “Frankenstein” and “Dracula”. The name gothic is referring to the scary buildings which many of these stories takes place in. The gothic genre has also developed into German gothic and Victorian gothic. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is an example of a gothic short story, written by Edgar Allan Poe and published in 1943.