of fear, darkness, heroes, villains, and love. If you ask me those are very contrasting
subjects. The name “Gothic Fiction” comes from medieval architecture. That is why this
style of writing took place mostly in the medieval era. The writing style puts emphasis on
atmosphere, using its surrounds to build suspense in the reader. Horace Walpole is
believed to be the inventor of the genre. His first book he wrote was “ The Castle Of
Otranto.” There are many authors around the world who enjoy writing this genre.
One of the two main elements in Gothic Fiction is Horror. The book “ Frankenstein”
is a perfect example of which Horror and Romance come together. The author will paint a
picture in the readers mind using imagery. Imagery evokes the five senses and involves
you more in the story that is taking place. Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley, she
composed this story at the age of 19. In this story Frankenstein is a horrific looking
monster that is given a heart that only desires to do good deeds. Through out the story
Frankenstein scares people off and unintentionally scares people off. Through out this
novel the elements of horror and romance are made more then clear. There are many popular
authors who write Gothic Fiction. Mary Shelley is just one of the many talented successful
writers.
Gothic Fiction is a genre that’s combines horror and romance. Through out Gothic literature you will feel uneasy and suspenseful. As you can see not many genres are like this one. It places special emphasis on elements that are not normally put together in a story. Mary Shelly did a sensational job at putting a story together that made two contrasting elements mesh. Frankenstein I most of the most popular gothic Fiction stories read today. Edgar Allen Poe was also a fabulous gothic writer. With one of his stories being “ The Mask of the Red Desk.”
CITATIONS Sharp, John. "SparkNotes: Frankenstein: Themes, Motifs & Symbols." SparkNotes: Today 's Most Popular Study Guides. College USA, 8 Feb. 2001. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/frankenstein/themes.html>. Macantosh, Frank M. “Typical Elements of American Gothic Fiction.” Middle Tennessee State University. Stacy Phillips, 14 Mar. 1998. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://melissaelmes.blogspot.com/2007/07/gothis-elements-in-literature.html>.
Citations: Sharp, John. "SparkNotes: Frankenstein: Themes, Motifs & Symbols." SparkNotes: Today 's Most Popular Study Guides. College USA, 8 Feb. 2001. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/frankenstein/themes.html>. Macantosh, Frank M. “Typical Elements of American Gothic Fiction.” Middle Tennessee State University. Stacy Phillips, 14 Mar. 1998. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://melissaelmes.blogspot.com/2007/07/gothis-elements-in-literature.html>.
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