Gothic Literature Research Papers

Gothic literature research papers are custom written on any of the great works of literature that focus on the macob and dark elements of life.

Gothic literature is a genre that generally contains some element of horror or the supernatural. Gothic literature emerged in England in the late 18th century, out of the Romantic Movement. The first novel considered to be “Gothic” was Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, which was first published in 1764.

Gothic Literature in the 19th Century

Gothic literature became especially popular in the early 19th century, beginning with the 1818 publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In America, early Gothic literature was best represented by the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Often the Gothic elements in such tales were represented by the decaying medieval architecture, which provided dark atmosphere in such Poe stories as “The Cask of Amontillado” or “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Gothic literature fell out of fashion during the middle of the 19th century, but was revived in the later Victorian Era, largely due in part to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, as well as other popular works including:

• Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
• Charlotte Bronte's Wuthering Heights

During the 20th century, Gothic literature was frequently restricted to pulp magazines, but Gothic elements emerged in the works of William Faulkner or Eudora Welty, in what has become known as Southern Gothic. Many supernatural elements, such as vampires, remain a staple of popular, mainstream literature.