The Gothic Romance

The Gothic Romance is so called because Horace Walpoles The Castle of Otranto
(1764) the foundational or! of the "enre
1
as subtitled A Gothic Story#
$n Walpoles conte%t &Gothic simpl' meant mediae(al#
) There is no relationship ith the Goths*
) no Germanic implication (most are set in southern +urope) and
) onl' a (a"ue semantic relationship ith Gothic architecture#
,otice that &Gothic in 1-
th
)centur' +n"land meant pre)the Glorious Revolution of
16--)-. and the /rotestant +nli"htenment#
) Gothic romances tend to be set in 0atholic countries because Catholicism as
associated ith superstition in the +nli"htened /rotestant mind#
1rom this perspecti(e there is no contradiction in the fact that Gothic Romance is
influenced b'2
) 3ha!espeare (in 176. +li4abeth 5onta"u described 3ha!espeare as +n"lands &Gothic
6ard)
2
) 7acobean tra"ed'
) 5ilton
The Gothic
6' this time the Gothic prose had been in(ented (Walpoles The Castle of Otranto
(1764) ith its interest in pre)no(elistic elements li!e2
the stran"lehold of the past upon the present
the encroachment of the &dar! a"es of oppression upon the &enli"htened modern
era
the supernatural
simplified characters
sharpl' discriminated heroes and (illains* masters and (ictims
cruelt' stemmin" from absolute and arbitrary power
middle-class suspicion of decadent aristocracy
the prota"onist is usuall' isolated from a social conte%t
the plot emphasi4es ad(enture
there is a 8uest for an ideal or the pursuit of an enem'
e(ents are non)realistic and often melodramatic
e(ents ma' pro9ect in symbolic form the primal desires* hopes* and terrors in the
depth of the human mind (ps'chomachia:)
the' are therefore analo"ous to the materials of myth* ritual and folklore#
;ne of the reasons for the popularit' of Gothic fiction as that* ith the ea!enin" of
the sustainin" and containin" reli"ious frameor!* it pro(ided somethin" of an
alternati(e outlet and repositor' for man' impulses of the Romantic re(i(al hich had
not 'et been properl' assimilated at a more serious le(el#
The Good in Gothic
1
thouh some people arue that Thomas !elands Longsword, Earl of Salisbury: An Historical
Romance "1#$2% is the first Gothic narrative&
<
in An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakeseare "1'$#%
The term had been used pe9orati(el' as a s'non'm for the barbaric and the primiti(e
(the Goths)#
3ome critics had started to ar"ue for a more positi(e readin" of the Gothic a"e hich*
precisel' because of its more primiti(e nature* had alloed for more imainative
invention than the rational and ci(ili4ed present#
The birth of Gothic fiction came about as a result of the chan"es in cultural emphasis in
the +i"hteenth 0entur'# $t as considered as opposed to the classical2
chaos (s# order*
simplicity and purity a"ainst ornamentation*
e(aeration a"ainst rules and limits#
The Gothic ima"er' has been considered b' ps'choanal'tical critics as reflectin" the
return of the repressed* in hich subconscious ps'chic ener"' bursts out from the
restraints of the conscious e"o= it has also been read
) as a si"n of the resurrection of the need for the sacred and transcendent in a modern
enli"htened secular orld* hich denies the e%istence of supernatural forces* or
) as the rebellion of the imaination a"ainst the t'rann' of reason#
$n "eneral it has been associated ith a rebellion a"ainst a constrainin" neoclassical
aesthetic ideal of order and unit'* in order to reco(er a suppressed primitive and
barbaric ima"inati(e freedom#
$t has been seen as ha(in" the emer"in" (alues of Romanticism2
(interest in the bi)arre* eccentric* wild* lawless and transressive in ori"inalit' and the
ima"ination)
The Whi"s especiall' associated Gothicism ith the &Gothic >n"lo)3a%ons2 a
freedom-lovin people ho ere the true ancestors of the +n"lish ((s# the &continental
t'rannical ,ormans)
This ties Gothicism in to anti)1rench* anti)0atholic feelin"s#
*
Hoe(er* the Gothic no(el is difficult to define# $t feeds upon and mi%es ith a ide
(ariet' of literar' sources2
6ritish fol!lore*
ballads*
romance*
+n"lish medie(al poetr'*
the ma9or or!s of 3penser and the +li4abethans*
the Gra(e'ard poets*
the sentimental no(elists and
German traditions#
?
+ritain was at war with ,rance from 1'-$ to 1'$*. a key period in the formation of the Gothic
myth of national oriin
/ Response to /lienation
3ociall'* emer"ent capitalism had led to a sense of isolation and alienation=
the urban centres had disconnected people* and ob(iousl' literature* from the natural
world#
@isco(eries in the science had ser(ed to increase this alienation and to disturb notions
of human identit'= the' had displaced metaph'sical and theolo"ical in(esti"ations#
That is h' science became a site of particular interest to Gothic riters* such as 5ar'
3helle'#
Gothic 0orality
$t mi"ht seem a bit superficial* but $an Watt displaces its comple%it' from characters
onto the readers response to the situation presented* as the Gothics main concern is to
create a feelin" or affect in its readers and not to depict a character* as some of their
readers at that time* includin" 3cott ha(e stated#
The Gothic depicts e(treme mental states abo(e all* fear#
@ue to this* it as in(ol(ed in the debates on the moral dan"ers of readin"#
$t is no difficult for us to belie(e Thomas Gray and his 0ambrid"e friends ere
Aafraid to "o to bed oni"htsB after readin" The Castle of Otranto#
5ost of the readers of Gothic fiction ere assumed to be female#
While to earlier conser(ati(e moralists it offered an ima"inati(e retreat from realit' and
it as seen as a potentiall' amoral subversion of social order* to man' modern critics
this has pro(ed it to be a reactionar'* sociall' conser(ati(e form#
$n the Radcliffean model* especiall'* the ima"ination is indul"ed throu"h suspense* onl'
to be ultimatel' contained b' the final authorit' of moralit'#
The Gothic su""ests that the ine(itable can onl' be deferred for a time* as the domestic
sphere is the onl' appropriate end of a omans ad(enture#
1or others* hoe(er* it is a potential (ehicle for feminine subversion= its escape from
the real orld has a purpose2 to ma!e an indirect criti8ue of thin"s from the distance#
The female Gothic itself is not a ratification but an e%posC of domesticit' and the
famil'* throu"h the techni8ue of estran"ement or romantic defamiliarisation#
The ambi"uit' of the Gothic is created b' a tension beteen its reactionar' moral and
re(olutionar' aesthetic (alue* both of hich are bour"eois creations#
The "othic is s'mptomatic of a nostal"ia for the past hich idealises the medieval
world as one of holeness* in hich indi(iduals ere defined as members of the &bod'
politic=
this (ie contrasts ith a modern bour"eois societ'* made up of atomistic possessi(e
indi(iduals* ho ha(e no relation to each other#
>ttac!in" a dehumanisin" modern orld* the Gothic is thus a part of the rise of
medievalism* ith its focus on reco(erin" a nati(e +n"lish literar' tradition#
The art of their forefathers and the fol! traditions the' dre upon mi"ht not conform to
>u"ustan ideal and rules* that had ta!en its name from the >u"ustan period of the
Roman +mpire* but the' are re(ieed and re)e(aluated b' Gothic artists#
+urkes 1ublime Revisited
6ur!es Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (17D7) effected the first
connection beteen sublimit' and terror2 terror could be a source of sublimit' and both
are essential mar!s of humanness# Here are some e%cerpts from this essa'2
Whate(er is fitted in an' sort to e%cite the ideas of pain and dan"er* that is to sa'*
hate(er is in an' sort terrible* or is con(ersant about terrible ob9ects* or operates
in a manner analo"ous to terror* is a source of the sublime= that* is* it is producti(e
of the stron"est emotion hich the mind is capable of feelin"### When dan"er or
pain press too nearl'* the' are incapable of "i(in" an' deli"ht* and are simpl'
terrible= but at certain distances* and ith certain modifications* the' ma' be* and
the' are* deli"htful* as e e(er' da' e%perience#B (/art $ 3ection E$$ ;f the
3ublime)
The passion caused b' the "reat and sublime in nature* hen those causes operate
most poerfull'* is astonishment= and astonishment is that state of the soul* in
hich all it motions are suspended* ith some de"ree of horror### Hence arises the
"reat poer of the sublime* that* far from bein" produced b' them* it anticipates
our reasonin"s* and hurries us on b' an irresistible force# (/art $$ 3ection $ of
the /assion 0aused b' the 3ublime)
,o passion so effectuall' robs the mind of all its poers of actin" and reasonin"
as fearF 1or fear bein" an apprehension of pain or death* it operates in a manner
that resembles actual pain### $ndeed* terror is in all cases hatsoe(er* either more
openl' or latentl'* the rulin" principle of the sublime# (/art $$ 3ection $$ Terror)
To ma!e an'thin" (er' terrible* obscurity seems in "eneral to be necessar'# When
e !no the full e%tent of an' dan"er* hen e can accustom our e'es to it* a
"reat deal of the apprehension (anishes# +(er' one ill be sensible of this* ho
considers ho "reatl' ni"ht adds to our dread* in all cases of dan"er* and ho
much the notions of "hosts and "oblins* of hich none can form clear ideas* affect
minds hich "i(e credit to the popular tales concernin" such sorts of bein"s# (/art
$$ 3ection $$$ ;bscurit')
6esides those thin"s hich directl' su""est the idea of dan"er* and those hich
produce a similar effect from a mechanical cause* $ !no of nothin" sublime*
hich is not some modification of poer### 6ut pain is ala's inflicted b' a poer
in some a' superior* because e ne(er submit to pain illin"l'# (/art $$
3ection E /oer)
>ll "eneral pri(ations are "reat* because the' are all terrible= Eacuit'* @ar!ness*
3olitude* and 3ilence# (/art $$ 3ection E$ /ri(ation)
Greatness of dimension is a poerful cause of the sublime### +%tension is either in
len"th* hei"ht* or depth# ;f these the len"th stri!es least### $ am apt to ima"ine
li!eise* that hei"ht is less "rand than depth### > perpendicular has more force in
formin" the sublime* than an inclined an inclined plane= and the effects of a
ru""ed and bro!en surface seem stron"er that here it is smooth and polished####
(/art $$ 3ection E$$ Eastness)
>nother source of "reatness is Difficulty# (/art $$ 3ection G$$ @ifficult')
> 8uic! transition from li"ht to dar!ness* or from dar!ness to li"ht# has 'et a
"reater effect# 6ut dar!ness is more producti(e of sublime ideas than li"ht# (/art $$
3ection G$E Hi"ht)
The e'e is not the onl' or"an of sensation b' hich a sublime passion ma' be
produced# 1ounds ha(e a "reat poer in these as in most other passions# $ do not
mean ords* because ords do not affect simpl' b' their sounds* but b' means
alto"ether different### The noise of vast cataracts* rain storms* thunder* or
artillery* aa!es a "reat and aful sensation in the mind* thou"h e can obser(e
no nicet' or artifice in those sorts of music# The shoutin" of multitudes has a
similar effect= and* b' the sole stren"th of the sound* so ama4es and confounds the
ima"ination* that* in this sta""erin" and hurr' of the mind* the best established
tempers can scarcel' forbear bein" borne don* and 9oinin" in the common cr'*
and common resolution of the crod### (/art $$ 3ection GE$$ 3ound and
Houdness)
,o* some lo* confused* uncertain sounds* lea(e us in the same fearful an%iet'
concernin" their causes* that no li"ht* or an uncertain li"ht* does concernin" the
ob9ects that surround us#### 6ut li"ht no appearin" and no lea(in" us* and so off
and on* is e(en more terrible than total dar!ness2 and a sort of uncertain sounds
are* hen the necessar' dispositions concur* more alarmin" than a total silence###
(/art $$ 3ection G$G $ntermittin")
/rchitecture as another of the fields ere the meanin" of the term &Gothic as
chan"ed= it as used to refer to medie(al architecture hich en9o'ed a re(i(al of the
taste for medie(al buildin"s* also pioneered b' 2orace 3alpole#
/hilosophicall'* it becomes easil' allied ith Rousseauian primiti(ism* in hich the
past is seen closer to nature than the present* associated ith the corruptin" and
artificial influence of societ'#
What ma!es a or! Gothic is a combination of at least some of these elements2
a castle* ruined or intact* haunted or not*
ruined buildin"s hich are sinister or hich arouse a pleasin" melanchol'*
duneons* underround passaes* crypts* and catacombs hich* in modern
houses* become spoo!' basements or attics*
lab'rinths* dar! corridors* and indin" stairs*
shados* a beam of moonliht in the blac!ness* a flic!erin" candle* or the onl'
source of li"ht failin" (a candle blon out or an electric failure)*
sublime landscapes* li!e ru""ed mountains* thic! forests* or ic' astes* and
e%treme eather*
omens and ancestral curses*
ma"ic* supernatural manifestations* or the su""estion of the supernatural*
a passion-driven* ilful villain or proto-+yronic (illain)hero*
a curious heroine ith a tendenc' to faint and a need to be rescuedfre8uentl'*
a hero hose true identit' is re(ealed b' the end of the no(el*
horrif'in" (or terrif'in") e(ents or the threat of such happenin"s#
2orace 3alpole "1'1'-1'#'% is doubl' important= he pla'ed a si"nificant role in the
1-
th
)centur' Gothic re(i(al in architecture and produced the foundin" te%t of Gothic
fiction2
!he "astle of #tranto (1764) drain" upon the authenticatin" de(ice of the manuscript
found* common in the +i"hteenth)centur' fiction= it purports to be a translation (as the
176D title pa"e has it) Ifrom the ori"inal $talian of ;nuphrio 5uralto* 0anon of the
0hurch of 3t# ,icholas at ;tranto*I and the e(ents related in it are supposed to ha(e
occurred in the 1<
th
and 1?
th
centuries#
$t as considered b' some as a rather preposterous and melodramatic burles8ue# >
second edition as published in 176D* he added a preface admittin" his authorship and
"i(in" it the subtitle &> Gothic 3tor' combinin" a loo! to the past ith stron" claims
for inno(ation#
He ar"ues in the preface for a reco(er' of the ameliorati(e meanin" of the term= he e(en
transformed his home* 3traberr' Hill* into a miniature Gothic castle#
His aim as to combine Athe to !inds of romance* the ancient and the modernB#
$ma"ination and fidelit' to nature a"ainst &strict adherence to common domestic life as
seen in the no(el# While the no(el is said to be an attempt to combine the fantastical
elements ith the naturalistic features* it is the fantastical elements that predominate#
This supernatural element does not appear particularl' belie(able or inducin" feelin" of
fear or terror* but the importance for the Gothic is the a' supernatural represents the
past* assertin" its poer in the present#
His character t'pes ere influential as ell2
a hero)(illain*
his (ictimi4ed ife*
the bland hero and
the selfless* passi(e heroine#
The Gothic does not attempt to create characters ith a ps'cholo"ical depth#
Hoe(er* the surface of the characters is used to su""est ho sub9ecti(it' is not so
much a matter of inner depths as one of public interpretation#
3upernatural phenomena and inanimate ob9ects are important to su""est fear and
helplessness= the castle has been seen as the primar' prota"onists=
its presence dominates the te%t* creatin" a sense of oppression that emphasi4es the
powerlessness of the characters to control their own lives#
His focus on issues of succession and inheritance ere influential as ell on later
Gothic no(el#
3upernatural forces help to restore order and ma!e the plot mo(e siftl'#
$n its concern ith propert' is not 9ust loo!in" bac!ards to the feudal order but also
offerin" a comple% en"a"ement ith the modern aristocratic ideolo"'#
,o one seems particularl' happ' at the end2
the demands of the self and the demands of society are shon to be irrevocably at
odds#
The Castle of Otranto has often been seen as indicati(e of Walpoles reactionar'
nostal"ia* his lon"in" to escape into an ideali4ed past# His Gothic orld as not a mere
retreat from politics* but a place here politics ere transformed into art#
He attempts to create somethin" ne from the past#
He as also responsible for the first "othic drama The Mysterious Mother (176-) ne(er
produced due to the impropriet' of the sub9ect matter2 incest#
William 6ec!fords $athek (17-6) is both mediae(al and ;riental and its sub9ect matter
is both erotic and sadistic#
/nn Radcliffe "1'$4-152*% as born the 'ear Walpole published The Castle of
Otranto# 3he li(ed a reclusi(e life* ritin" si% ma9or no(els in ei"ht 'ears= this use of
secrec' as in her art as ell2 it is one of concealment* &of throin" the narrati(e into
m'ster'#
The first one* The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (17-.) uses Walpoles inheritance
plot= it as folloed b' A Sicilian Romance (17.J)* here Radcliffes character t'pes
and features be"in to come to"ether* includin" the persecution of the heroine b' an older
man* the father fi"ure and the search for an absent mother as a 8uest for identit'#
1or much of the <J
th
0entur'* her reputation remained lo* probabl' due to her use of
the e%plained supernatural* seen as e(idence of a conser(ati(e rationalism# This position
has no chan"ed* primaril' due to the or! b' feminist critics in identif'in" an
alternati(e tradition of female Gothic* ith its encoded e%pressions of female
e%perience#
!he %ysteries of &dolho "1'#4%
AThe first modern thrillerB
+mil' is (er' much a persecuted maiden of the Clarissa pattern she too is a model of
sensibility and propriet'#
$t is the classical e%ample of the "enre and relates an essentiall' simple narrati(e*
fundamentall' a unitar' stor' structured round the e%perience of a sin"le character#
$t e%plores the relation beteen female madness* passion* and the dan"ers of indul"ed
ima"ination* due to paucit' of omens li(es# ;ne of the mar!s of Radcliffes s!ill and
delicac' is that the dan"ers hich threaten the heroine are ne(er made entirel' clear#
@espite the brilliant use of suspense techni8ues* there are certain problems in the
narrati(e#
Radcliffe had a disinterest in character and character de(elopment* in fa(our of plot
de(elopment# 0han"e occurs not throu"h natural internal processes in the heroine but
throu"h artificial e%ternal fictions#
The no(el is an in(esti"ation into the prominent 1-
th
)centur' concept of sensibilit' as
incompatible ith the "eneral fabric of social acti(it'#
The author presents a heroine ith a "reat de"ree of susceptibilit' hich continuall'
prostrates her before spectres hich* the reader feels* are of her own imainin#
3ensibilit' renders her incapable of acti(e social participation* and sin!s her
dan"erousl' into the orld of her o(erstimulated ima"ination# The positi(e side of
sensibilit' is its (isionar' 8ualit'2 +mil's (isions sho that the stren"th of the sensiti(e
indi(idual is in terms of her inner life* and that sensibilit' encoura"es this to e%pand at
the e%pense of communicati(e contact#
The end)point of these doubts is a !ind of madness* the dislocation of the mind under
pressures that cannot e(en be cate"ori4ed as internal or e%ternal= hat Radcliffe
demonstrates is that the entire process of sensibilit'* and the ad(ocac' of it as a female
accomplishment* is bound to end in a orld of "hosts and terrors from hich mere
rational e%planation can pro(ide no real sal(ation#
Radcliffe combined Walpoles features ith the no(el of sensibilit'* hich focused on
the proper* tender heroine and emphasi4ed the lo(e interest# $n all her no(els* Aa
beautiful and solitary girl is persecuted in picturesque surroundings and after many
fluctuations of fortune during !hich she seems again and again on the point of
reaching safety only to be thrust bac" into the midst of perils is restored to her friends
and marries the man of her choiceB (7#5#3# Tomp!ins)#
Her no(els are as much about interrupted courtship as terror#
5ore recent critics of Radcliffe ha(e demurred from the earlier perception of her no(els
as an affirmation of the (alue of sensibilit'= she ould be pointin" out the daners of
e(cessive sensibility# 5an' of the heroines problems and distresses arise from her
acute sensibilit'* particularl' hen it 'ields to ima"ination= she must learn to use reason
to "uide her sensibilit'#
1or most contemporar' readers* the charm and much of the ori"inalit' of RadcliffeKs
no(el la' in her descriptions of landscape* hich ere influenced b' her fa(ourite
painters# 0ontemporar' critics ha(e su""ested that the scenic descriptions are one of
RadcliffeKs main interests* if not the main interest# RadcliffeKs scener' is often obscure or
percei(ed throu"h a dim li"ht2 ATo the arm ima"ination* the forms hich float half)
(eiled in dar!ness afford a hi"her deli"ht than the most distinct scener' the sun can
shoB (The Mysteries of #dolpho)#
Radcliffes emphasis on moralit' has caused her to be accused of didacticism# $t mi"ht
be precisel' this emphasis hich contributed to her popularit'#
Thus* Radcliffe combined thrillin" content ith irreproachable moralit'#
5oreo(er* she combines them ith aesthetic considerations in her emphasis on taste#
The +n"lish upper classes "enerall' percei(ed the 1rench Re(olution as threatenin" the
basis and stabilit' of societ' and endan"erin" their social position and personal safet'#
Radcliffes no(els* it has been su""ested* alloed them a safe e%pression of an%ieties
about disruption and chaos hile finall' affirmin" conser(ati(e social (alues* traditional
moralit'* and the (political) status 8uo#
William Godins "aleb Williams (17.4)
) is often considered part of the Gothic tradition#
Remember that Godins $nquiry Concerning %olitical &ustice (17.?) as one of the
most influential boo!s of the period#
Caleb as ritten as a fictional release for the same ideas Godin had de(eloped in
%olitical &ustice# He lar"el' rote them simultaneousl'#
0aleb reinforces the idea that people are endoed ith innate "oodness* hich is
frustrated and distorted b' the interference of the las* pre9udices and con(entions of
societ'#
) 1ran!ensteins monster closel' reflects these ideas#
Williams is an outcast* re9ected and hated b' a societ' he !nos to be morall' ron"
and corrupt#
He is a lonel' indi(idual utterl' at the merc' of outside forces#
To be"in ith Williams is in effect the hunter and 1al!land his (ictim* as Williams tries
to orm his secret out of him#
Then the situation is re(ersed* and Williams becomes his (ictims (ictim#
This of course is closel' paralleled in the relationship beteen Eictor and the 0reature
in 'ran"enstein#
Gothic characteristics include2
a hei"htened sense of dread*
themes of persecution* incarceration and e%cessi(e irrational violence* and
its depiction of deep* broodin" paranoia#
0atthew !ewis "1''--1515%
) is ell !non for ha(in" ritten !he %onk* his onl' no(el* in a short space of time
hen he as tent'* hile embar!in" on a political and diplomatical career that he as
to abandon later#
He became a prominent literar' fi"ure also because of the pla's he rote or translated
from the German#
5ost of them are ritten in the Gothic (ein* for instance Alfonso (ing of Castile
(1-J1)#
He as interested in the or! of German terror no(elists#
His or! can loo! to the contemporar' reader e%tremel' crude* to the point of seemin"
li!e a parod' of common assumptions about Gothic machiner' and characteri4ation#
His or! has rapidit'* a poer of immediate en"a"ement easil' seen* especiall' if
compared ith the ele"ant dela's of Radcliffe#
His or! as trans"ressi(e* ith descriptions of se%ual acti(it' and (iolence* ith a
freshness "i(en b' the resistance to e%ternall' imposed rules and re"ulations= these
points are mentioned in contemporar' re(ies#
1ables of t'rann'* incarceration and liberation ha(e been seen as metaphors for more
literal restrictions and imprisonments and his pla's ha(e been considered as concerned
ith a uni(ersal call for freedom* althou"h Heis ne(er intended them to be so#
Heis famousl' (isited the Eilla @iodati hen 5ar' 3helle' as to months into
ritin" 'ran"enstein* thou"h the' did not actuall' meet#
5ar' had read The Mon"* hoe(er* and Heis in person impressed /erc' 6'ssche#
> central topic of con(ersation as sla(er'#
Heiss ealth had been deri(ed from sla(e plantations but he as ell)!non for
ha(in" treated his sla(es "enerousl' and he had stron" (ies on the sub9ect of sla(er'#
Eictor 1ran!ensteins sin is that he effecti(el' ants to create a human ho belon"s to
him* a sla(e#
!he %onk (17.6)
>mbrosio* the central character of The Mon"* is deri(ed from Radcliffes 5ontoni#
$n the process* hoe(er* the character underent profound chan"es#
Heiss >mbrosio* the seemin"l' near)saintl' 3uperior of the 0apuchins of 5adrid* is
in fact a sla(e to secret se(ual desires* the repression of hich is itself a per(ersion#
Thou"h The 5on! is not "reat literature it as the first boo! to use the Gothic mode
ith its under"round dun"eons* cells and tombs as a metaphor for the descent into the
most primitive depths of the subconscious#
The Mon" banned upon its ori"inal publication* rapidl' became ac!noled"ed as the
most scandalous of earl' Gothic no(els due to the e%plicitness of its (iolent and
especiall' its se%ual scenes# 3tron"l' influenced b' earlier German terror no(els* it
lac!s their e%plicit in(ol(ement ith the politicall' radical content of those# The no(el
also loo!s bac! on 3ha!espeare and 5ilton# 5an' other elements of le"ends are
intero(en ithin the no(el2 the Wanderin" 7e* 1austusL
The use of to stories (>mbrosio)5atilda)>ntonia= Ra'mond)>"nes)* to plots* "i(es
him scope for a series of dramatic alterations hich "i(e the boo! a stead' pace and
ener"' completel' different from pre(ious "othic no(els#
The presence of the supernatural is here &natural= Heis ma!es no e%cuses for it#
3ometimes the supernatural seems secondar' to the human stor' here the author
e%poses the horrors forced upon the people of 3pain (and elsehere) b' the 0hurch and
its minions# $t is filled ith reminders of hat can so easil' "o ron" if reliious
fundamentalism is "i(en the chance to rei"n supreme* here choices are ta!en from
indi(iduals and instead "i(en to ri"id institutions#
The sufferin"s of the heroines are situated a"ainst a bac!"round of le"end that Radcliffe
mi"ht ha(e found sensationalist but* that intensifies the heroines pli"ht# 6ut ith an
almost naturalistic st'le* Heis ma!es that &sensationalist le"endar' bac!"round
appears oppressi(el' con(incin"# We are not as!ed to belie(e* e are as!ed to see#
$n spite of its crudeness* The Mon" is a (er' reflecti(e boo! and deli"hts in
complications of narrati(e# The reader must mo(e ithin a series of stories* and stories
ithin the stories# 3ome stories are told and retold* usin" different tones and forcin" the
reader to "et in(ol(ed in a constructed orld of self)(alidatin" fictions hich are
te%turall' &more real than realit' itself#
6' contrast ith the closed pri(acies of pre(ious Gothic no(els* the social orld of the
no(el (5adrid) is a ide and "eneral one* here the public ramifications of personal
tra"ed' and crod scenes are emphasi4ed= the characters fates are a si"n of social
decadence and h'pocris'#
The boo! is full of ps'cholo"ical contrasts* not related to the (erisimilitude of the
portra'al of particular characters* but created to enhance the "eneral sense of
precariousness Heis ishes to encoura"e to challen"e the audience# ,othin" is hat it
seems#
Heis st'le in The Mon" is constructed around short* almost surreal* dramatic scenes#
He ants the reader to be impressionable* spectatorial* and open to sudden doubt about
if the e(ents and characters portra'ed sho or not repressed aspects of their on mind#
He ants the reader to see pri(ate faults mercilessl' e%posed and to moc! their
confused reactions#
'orthanger Abbey 6 0ock-Gothic
>ustens parody as read' for publication in 1-J? but onl' published in 1-1-#
0atherine 5orland* on her first trip aa' from home* is so full of her Gothic readin"
that she interprets life at ,orthan"er >bbe' in Gothic terms* onl' to be seriousl'
embarrassed later b' the discrepanc' beteen her Gothic ima"inin"s and realit'#
$nterestin"l'* hile man' of the characters ha(e read Walpole and Radcliffe* onl' the
least admirable* 7ohn Thorpe* claims to ha(e read The Mon"#
>nother satire of the Gothic* Thomas Ho(e /eacoc!s Headlong Hall as ritten in
1-16#
The fact that to parodies of the Gothic con(entions ere published 9ust before
'ran"enstein su""ests that the "enre* once so popular that it dominated the no(el
mar!et* as losin" credibilit'#
,rankenstein6 / Gothic 7ovel8
3helle's no(el contains no deca'in" monaster'* no decadent mon!s* "hosts* headless
nuns or terrif'in" bri"ands= castles are mentioned as thou"h features in a tra(elo"ue
rather than ser(in" as a settin" for supernatural e(ents#
) >ll the con(entional Gothic trappin"s ha(e disappeared#
) 3cience has replaced ma"ic#
Hoe(er* 1ran!enstein is a no(el about e(cess and transression and in this it can be
seen as part of the Gothic tradition#
Charles Robert 0aturin (17-J)1-<4)
) as an ordained minister ho turned to ritin" to support his famil'# 1rom his first
no(el* 'atal Re)enge* or The 'amily of Montorio (1-J7)* he introduced the primar'
themes that ere "oin" to dominate his later or!2 "uilt* re(en"e and reli"ious
persecution and fanaticism#
$n it he anticipates the t'pe he ill de(elop in his most famous no(el2 the Gothic tale of
an outcast ho sells his soul to the de(il to the de(il in return for !noled"e and poer#
The Gothic re(en"e melodrama Bertram* or The Castle of St Aldobrand (1-16)* first
sta"ed at @rur' Hane* as attac!ed because of its apparent celebration of emotional
e%tremes and sub(ersion of moral and social authorit'#
%elmoth the Wanderer (1-<J)
5elmoth is an amal"am of 0ain* the Wanderin" 7e* 5iltons 3atan* 1aust* the >ncient
5ariner and the 6'ronic hero# He is a poerful creation#
Melmoth as a (er' influential boo! in its on time and later2 6al4ac* 6audelaire* /oe
or 3te(enson ere amon" those ho admired the boo!#
The title* and the Wanderer* reminds us of the m'th of the Wanderin" 7e* a stor' ith
hich most "othic no(el readers ere familiar# The boo! has a comple% and difficult
narrati(e structure#
The hi"hl')or"ani4ed structure sustains a rococo decoration and co(ers centuries of
familiar stories* ad(entures* spells hich become both thic! (some minor stories seem
tedious) and fast# These stories are all coloured ith horror and death#
The Wanderer appears in all the stories as a fi"ure of superhuman poers that appears at
the moments of despair* offerin" freedom in e%chan"e for souls# The Wanderer needs
someone to ta!e his place to a(oid infernal flames#
Reli"ion is probabl' the most important theme in the no(el and the no(el is probabl'
the most concerned ith reliion amon" the ones commented here# To 5elmoth* all
reli"ions are e8uall' delusor' in their promises of beneficence and sal(ation= the onl'
realit' of reli"ion is di(ine (en"eance#
5aturin* as a protestant cler"'man* as clearl' aainst Catholicism and his or!s* but
his characters are someho (iolent hen statin" their points of (ie on the falsit' of
reli"ious belief and it seems as if 5aturin as e%ceedin" the attac! on 0atholicism and
aimin" at the edifice of reli"ion or at his on head#
3entiment* intense feelin"* essentiall' anti)t'rannical in both the theolo"ical and
political spheres* o(erhelm an' attempt at fine doctrinal discrimination# The
parado%ical and comple% nature of emotional states is described* especiall' those states
of e%treme terror and despair* amon" hich he includes insanit' or the fear of insanit'#
5elmoths death does not pur"e the orld (li!e >mbrosios in Heis The Mon")
because these characters are not a principal of e(il but rather a"ents and a product of
perennial e(il of others# 5elmoth is actuall' poerless= the real horror of the orld
"oes on ithout his a"enc'= he merel' e%ults in it#
@reamli!e)state e%periences are present in the boo! and &dream and &anderin" are
identified ith prehistoric impulses that haunt ci(ili4ed man!ind#
This is the orld presented b' 5aturin in Melmoth the +anderer* a orld in hich
sufferin" is not proportional to "uilt* here ci(ili4ed beha(iour cannot pre(ent the
brea!in" out of forces hich haunt the mind of the indi(idual and the mind of culture#
The 9nfluence of the :arly :nlish Gothic
Hoe(er naM(el' and crudel'* Gothic prose tried out methods of dealin" ith a ran"e of
human e%perience that had not been rendered in fiction before#
$ts mediae(al castles and under"round passa"es ere metaphorical "ropin"s toards an
e%ploration of the unconscious and subconscious mind* and represented in
conse8uence the possibilities of an e%tension of realism#
3imilarl'* the (arious Gothic supernatural manifestations represented a first step
toards encompassin" the irrational and surreal#
$n other ords* the elements hich the Gothic riters introduced ere one hich the
+n"lish no(el needed* and hich ould be e%ploited and consolidated b' riters of
"enius
Thou"h the Gothic >"e ended ith 5elmoth* Gothic romance had a "reat influence on
6ritish literature of the rest of the 1.
th
0entur' (our area of interest
4
)#
6efore lon" +mil' 6rontN in +uthering ,eights (1-47) and 0harles @ic!ens in a hole
series of no(els from Oli)er T!ist (1-?7)-) onards* ere to sho ho e(en the most
ob(ious and ne"ati(e Gothic stereot'pes could be incorporated into a comprehensi(e
poetic (ision#
The late)Eictorian Gothic (3te(enson* 3to!er* Wilde and 0onan @o'le) ob(iousl' built
on their 1-
th
)centur' predecessors or!#
,otice that 5r Rochester (in &ane $yre) has an element of the Gothic (illain (as ell as
of the 6'ronic hero)#
The @u!e in 6ronin"s My -ast Duchess can also be seen as a Gothic (illain#
4
ob(iousl'* it had a hu"e influence on >merican Gothic (/oe)* 3outhern Gothic (1aul!ner) and <J
th
)
centur' cinema but ere not interested in those thin"s here