Definition and

classification of gothic
novel

Made by
Savchak Nataliia
Ina-35(9)
 The term “Gothic”
• As the term “Gothic” turns out to be very prominent in understanding
eighteenth-century aesthetic discourse. It is relevant in this
connection to mention a set of cultural and linguistic changes during
the century which largely conditioned the later uses of the word. 
• The word “Gothic” at the end of the seventeenth century and in the
early eighteenth century carried a negative connotation. The original
meaning was literally “to do with the Goths” or with the uncivilized
northern tribes. In the middle of the eighteenth century with the
change of cultural values the worth placed upon them began to alter
radically [1, p. 11].
• The gothic pursues a seemingly messier version of what it means to
be a person than that articulated in early natural philosophies and
suggests that the world is a more compound place than
Enlightenment science would have us believe. The Gothic is an
attempt not to destroy harmony but to provide an alternative context
within which meaning is thought over. The gothic is thus founded on a
model idea of debate and interrogation and functions as a form of
radical skepticism that, paradoxically, seems to echo the
Enlightenment emphasis on interrogation and testing as a way of
getting at some semblance of the truth [2, p. 34 ].
• The gothic genre is cunning in that there is no essence or single
element that belongs to all Gothics. All works of this genre are
absolutely different [3].
Gothic elements:

There are a few tips in the work that help us to

understand that story contains gothic elements:

1. First of all, there is emotional tension in the work, which is

increasing with each chapter. The story keeps the reader in tension
to the last pages.
2. A great hint is the presence of elements of mysticism in the
narrative, because not everyone literary genre contains ghosts and
other fictional creatures.
 3. Language of the work helps to understand that there are
elements of gothic in the work
• must admit, that phrases like “demoniac laughter”, “heart-breaking groan”,
“the wind is howling” are quite typical for Gothic literature.
• Also important is that the action takes place in the chase or castle. After all, in
any other genre, instead of "castle" or “chase” the author would rather use
some "estate", "mansion" or "house".
4. Candles also help to create a mystical atmosphere and make
everything more enigmatic for the reader.
5. Undoubtedly, the murder and the bloodstains could be parts of
the Gothic literary genre.
6. The work also may contain a prophecy concerning the curse.
Classification:
Edith Birkhead made one of the first serious attempts to divide the
Gothic novel by horror category. In her monograph “A Horror Story”
exploring the Gothic Novel, this classification looks like this:

• The Novel of Suspense (Representatives:

Anna Radcliffe)
• The Oriental Tale of Terror
(Representatives: William Beckford)
• Satires on the Novel of Terror
(Representatives: Jane Austen, Thomas Love Peacock)
• The Novel of Terror
(Representatives: Matthew Gregory Lewis,
Ernst Theodore Amadeus Hoffman, Charles
Maturin)
• The Gothic Romance
(Representatives: Horace Volpol, Clara
Reeve, Anna Letitia Barbot, Mary Shelley,
Marjorie Boven)
• The Short Tale of Terror
(Representatives: Lord Bulwer-Lytton, Mary
Shelley)
 In her monograph "The Gothic Search," Montague Summers
compares the Gothic novel with the classic and draws two lines of
symbolism:
Gothic Classic

A castle A house or mansion

A cave A garden house

A moan A sithe

A giant A father

A bloody dagger A fan

A howling of the wind A gentle breeze

A knight A gentleman
 Gothic Classic

Lady, the main character No change: a woman always remains a woman

Sword strike A murderous look

A monk An old servant

A skull bones Compliments, sentiments

A candle A lamp

A magic book with blood stains A tear-filled letter

Mysterious voices, grunts Rare words

A mysterious promise A courtship

A ghost A lawyer or judge

A witch An old Housekeeper

A wound A kiss

A midnight Killing A wedding

Sources:
1. https://www.vdu.lt/cris/bitstream/20.500.12259/282/1/ISBN97899
55125143.pdf
(p. 11)

2. http://dl.booktolearn.com/ebooks2/encyclopedias/9781119064602
_the_encyclopedia_of_the_gothic_d316.pdf
(p. 34)

3. https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gothic-motifs