![]() And today, the term Gothic fiction has become widely used to describe works of heightened drama and horror in any setting, even outer space. Some famous writers of Gothic fiction include Charlotte Bronte, Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe. Gothic literature combines the genres of romance and horror. To reiterate, Gothic literature is defined by mystery and fear where there are often themes of death (sometimes macabre), the supernatural, confinement, and. ![]() When Roderick's sister, whom the narrator believes to be dead, emerges from her tomb, he experiences terrific horror, another characteristic of Gothic literature. Popular Southern Gothic authors include Flannery OConnor, William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Anne Rice. gothically The adjective gothic describes something that is characterized by mystery, horror, and gloom especially in literature. He is also a doppelganger for his twin sister, whom he buries alive. Roderick Usher demonstrates the gothic characteristic of a character struggling with insanity. The story also includes a seemingly hypochondriacal character that is ill with fear. Poe immediately sets the tone of the story by describing the gloomy and eerie setting of the house, a characteristic of Gothic literature. The story begins with a man describing his journey to the creepy House of Usher, "During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length, found myself, as the shades of evening drew on, within the view of the melancholy House of Usher" (Wiggins 295). Major character types in Gothic literature include naive and oppressed heroines, attractive and brave heroes, and domineering (the bad guys). ![]() The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe exemplifies several characteristics of Gothic literature including a bleak and remote setting, elements of terror, characters with internal mental/emotional struggles, and doppelgangers. Prominent features of gothic fiction include terror (psychological as well as physical), mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, haunted houses and Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, decay, doubles, madness (especially mad women), secrets, hereditary curses, and persecuted maidens. ![]()
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