Gothic Literature

The Foundationalist, 2021

{Nina Merkofer, University of Basel} Ancient castles and ivy-covered ruins with spiral staircases, eerie dungeons, and hidden trap doors set the scenery for terrific tales of lurking villains, mysterious outsiders, fair maidens, valorous heroes, and supernatural on-goings. These dark, uncanny, and suspenseful stories draw the readers into the mysterious and fantastic world of the Gothic. Surrounded by the ideas of enlightenment, Gothic literature presented a backlash against the predictability and regularity of the literature of the Age of Reason. The core ideas of this literary trend were retrieved from the stories of traditional folksay and from gripping mysteries of the gloomy past.

2017

The emergence of Gothic fiction in England is ascribed by critics such as David Punter, to the Industrial revolution but strangely, like Gothic fiction itself, and paradoxically in the midst of the eighteenth-century 'Enlightenment' the Gothic harked back to an idea of the pre-modern. Over a period of time, the term 'gothic' which originally denoted a medieval style of architecture, came to be associated with a particular style of writingwhich was predicated upon gloominess and located in castles that were '[D]ecaying, bleak and full of hidden passageways ……[and] linked to other medieval edificesabbeys, churches and graveyardsassociated with barbarity, superstition and fear…' (Botting 1996:2-3). Horace Walpole's TheCastle of Otranto (1764) is usually taken as the first Gothic novel written. It was an extremely popular novel and was one of the most widely read novels of the period not only in England but all over Europe. T J Matthias observed in 1796 in The Pursuits of Literature: The spirit of enquiry which he [Horace Walpole] introduced was rather frivolous, though pleasing, and his Otranto ghosts have propagated their species with unequalled fecundity. They spawn is in every novel shop.

2011

""From romantic encounters to an excess of definitions. The Sublime and aesthetics. From romanticism to Gothic. Politics and patriarchy. Allegory. Binary oppositions. Abjection and otherness. This chapter also covers the overlapping topic, Romanticism. There is a sample syllabus for a twelve week course on Romanticism and Gothic. Includes a bibliography of key literary works and essential further reading." What does it mean to study English Literature? Have can you navigate and get the most from your degree? The English Literature Companion is your comprehensive introduction to, and exploration of, the discipline of English and Literary Studies. It is your advisor on key decisions, and your one-stop reference source throughout the course. It combines:- A wide-ranging introduction to the nature, breadth and key components of the study of English Literature- Essays by experts in the field on key topics, periods and critical approaches- A glossary of critical terms and a chronology of literary history- Guidance about study skills, from using your time effectively to the practical mechanics of writing essays- Extensive signposting to wider reading and further sources of information- Advice on key decisions taken during a degree and on subsequent career direction and further study.Giving you the foundation and resources you need for success in English Literature, this book is essential pre-course reading and will be an invaluable reference resource throughout your degree.""

In this paper I will shed light on the very essence and characteristics of the gothic novel, in the perspective of Horace Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’ (1765) and Jane Austen’s ‘Northanger Abbey’ (1818). The Gothic novel primarily, is born in such a world which praises rationality and morality.

The Cambridge History of the Gothic, Volume 1: Gothic in the Long Eighteenth Century (Cambridge UP, 2020), 2020

This chapter offers an overview of the relationship between Gothic and Classical literature and aesthetics in Britain in the long eighteenth century. British writers increasingly felt haunted by the ghosts of the Classical past, and Gothic literature rediscovered what was spectral and grotesque about the art and literature of Greece and Rome. Authors considered include Horace Walpole, Clara Reeve, and Mary Shelley. Final version now published in Angela Wright & Dale Townshend, ed. The Cambridge History of the Gothic, Volume 1: Gothic in the Long Eighteenth Century (Cambridge, 2020), 161-79.

2017

This article observes the problem of importance and influence of Gothic culture in the international literary process.

Ines Kajdiž, ovime izjavljujem da je moj diplomski rad pod naslovom Gothic Revival and Horace Walpole rezultat mojega vlastitog rada, da se temelji na mojim istraživanjima te da se oslanja na izvore i radove navedene u bilješkama i popisu literature. Ni jedan dio mojega rada nije napisan na nedopušten način, odnosno nije prepisan iz necitiranih radova i ne krši bilo čija autorska prava. Izjavljujem da ni jedan dio ovoga rada nije iskorišten u kojem drugom radu pri bilo kojoj drugoj visokoškolskoj, znanstvenoj, obrazovnoj ili inoj ustanovi. Sadržaj mojega rada u potpunosti odgovara sadržaju obranjenoga i nakon obrane uređenoga rada.