Gothic Literature Resources

Gothic literature is an interesting topic of study because the novels are so different. Authors using the same ideas or sentiments came to different conclusions and created two entirely different works. The authors were also known for including commentaries on society in a book that on the surface was more supernatural than anything else. That's just one reason why they're still studied today in online colleges.

Basic Definition/Information on the genre:

• Gothic Literature Introduction : covers topics and ideas relating to gothic literature.
• Gothic and Sensation Fiction : provides general characteristics used in gothic fiction.
• Gothic Literature : focuses on different examples the characterize gothic fiction.
• A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms : provides definitions for common words relating to gothic literature.
• Elements of the Gothic Novel : explains the same basic themes and elements used in gothic novels.

Individual and Social Psychologies of the Gothic

• Gothic Literature : describes the basic thoughts and feelings of characters in these books.
• The Female Gothic Subtext : explains how psychological aspects of females were a theme in the genre.
• Radcliffe's Psychology of the Gothic : focuses on the psychological elements used in gothic novels.
• In Praise of the Gothic Novel : gives reasons why the genre is so important, including the psychological aspects.
• Typical Elements of Gothic Novels : offers nine elements found in this genre, some relating to psychological ideas.

The Female Gothic

• Romantic Readings of the Gothic : offers excerpts dealing with female characters and romantic ideas.
• Northanger Cannon : focuses on the books described by Jane Austen in one of her early gothic books.
• Gothic, Novel, and Romance : provides definitions of romance as it relates to different gothic novels.
• Fantastic Love in American Gothic Literature : explains the use of unnatural elements and female characters in these novels.
• The Monstrous Female : describes the idea of the ugly or unfeminine woman in books and movies.

The Gothic and the Supernatural

• Supernatural Horror in Literature : focuses on the use of supernatural elements in different forms of literature.
• A Guide to Supernatural Fiction : offers information on books and authors that used supernatural elements.
• Supernatural Elements in Jane Eyre : describes how Jane Austen used the supernatural in her most famous work.
• The Supernatural Gothic : explains the use of supernatural and gothic elements in other genres.
• House of Pain Archives : provides short stories with a supernatural slant.

The Sublime and the Domestic

• The Sublime and the Gothic : explains how the sublime was used in gothic literature.
• Theorizing the Gothic Sublime : gives examples of how the gothic sublime was used in different novels.
• The Gothic Novel : describes different elements used in these works, including the idea of the sublime.
• The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies : international journal that often publishes ideas on the sublime.

Gothic Drama

• Gothic Poets and Writers Literary Club : club for those interested in writing about gothic drama.
• The Origins of the Modern Study of Gothic Drama : explains how the study of gothic drama came to be.
• From Gothic Novel to Gothic Drama : describes the process of authors switching to gothic drama styles.
• Gothic Drama in the Romantic Age : focuses on the use of gothic elements during this era, along with examples.
• Gothic Drama : covers what gothic drama is and how authors began using it.

Famous Gothic Novels

• The Literary Gothic : offers resources, reference material and information on famous gothic novels and their authors.
• Fantastic Fiction : provides covers of different gothic novels, plot synopses and more on the authors.
• 18th Century Gothic Fragments : offers small excerpts from famous and lesser known gothic novels.
• Early American Gothic Novels : lists famous books and novels from early in the genre.
• Zittaw Press : publisher focusing on books in the gothic genre.

Famous Gothic Writers

• Gothic Fiction : lists famous authors working in the genre with a short biography of each one.
• Gothic Authors : examines different authors and how they worked in the genre.
• Biographies of Gothic Novelists : offers short biographies of many different writers who worked in the genre.
• Essays on Mary Shelley and Frankenstein : focuses on the female author and her most famous work.
• Dracula : provides an e-text of the novel as well as different resources on both it and the author.

Gothic literature covers a number of different theories and ideas. The resources provided here help understand gothic literature better and the authors who worked in the genre.

Published: 2010-01-20