For two and a half centuries, the Gothic novel has been proving its viability. Formed as a genre in the 18th century, it transformed over time. In fantasy and science fiction, horror and thrillers, Gothic elements are present to one degree or another.
The history of the emergence of the Gothic novel
The first Gothic novel is believed to be the Castle of Otranto, published in 1764 by Horace Walpole, the fourth Earl of Oxford. The author published a book under the guise of a translation from Italian. A year later, this Gothic novel saw the light of day with Walpole's name on the cover and with a preface in which the author expressed the hope that "he was able to blaze a new path for others to follow." The name of the gothic novel genre also first appeared in the subtitle to Castle of Otranto.
Following the "Castle of Otranto", a whole stream of Gothic rushed into literature. In more than 30 years after the publication of Walhol's novel, more than 600 works of this genre have appeared.
But each founder has his own predecessors. Literary historians have found the Irish priest Leland's novel The Long Sword, or Earl of Salisbury, published 2 years earlier than The Castle. But it was Horace Walpole who gave the new genre a name and built its canons.
There was an ambiguity in the name of the genre "Gothic novel". In the 18th century, when it appeared, "Gothic" meant barbaric (the word came from the name of the Goths tribe that destroyed Rome) and was equated with the Middle Ages, which, according to the concepts of that time, covered the entire period from Antiquity to the Enlightenment.
Features of the Gothic novel
Nowadays, the gothic genre is also popular. The most striking "neo-Gothic" novels are called "Unicorn" by Iris Murdoch, "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diana Setterfield, "The Shadow of the Author" by John Harwood, "Daphne" by Justine Picardy.
First of all, Gothic novels have a special atmosphere. It is imbued with mystery and mystical horror. The mood of these works is melancholic, even depressing. Gothic is characterized by an appeal to folklore, restoration of antiquity and all kinds of hoaxes.
The Gothic novel is characterized by a certain set of characters: a fatal villain (an insidious oppressor or even the devil himself), a sensitive heroine (her role is defined as "innocence in trouble"), a reckless young man and simple-minded servants, giving the narrative credibility and comic.
Researchers of Gothic literature also distinguish the following features of the genre:
The plot, as a rule, is built around a mystery (an unsolved crime, someone's disappearance, of unknown origin), the disclosure of which is postponed until the very end.
The story revolves around a chain of threats to the security, peace and honor of the protagonists.
Gothic novels are set in ancient castles, often dilapidated, or monasteries, with secret rooms, dark corridors, the smell of decay, and slave servants. The setting also includes uninhabited wastelands, stormy streams, dense forests, open graves, etc.
The heroes of the first Gothic novels were usually a collection of virtues, and as the genre developed, they were ousted from the center of the reader's attention by the villain who was the engine of the plot.
