ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Gothic fiction is characterized by an environment of fear, the threat of supernatural events, and the intrusion of the past upon the present. Gothic fiction is distinguished from other forms of scary or supernatural stories, such as fairy tales, by the specific theme of the present being haunted by the past.

Detailed explanation-2: -Usually the setting consists of a castle or manor in an isolated location, away from any city or civilization. This genre is dark, eerie, and mysterious, often containing elements of terror, horror, and the macabre and the bizarre. Common themes and motifs of the Gothic include power, confinement, and isolation.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Gothic is a mode that engages consistently with the hermeneutics of isolation. Where there is a castle, a monastery, or indeed an Inquisition, there exists the threat of enforced isolation in a secret space hidden from the scrutiny of others. This enforced isolation speaks to the vulnerability of the protagonists.

Detailed explanation-4: -That feeling of isolation, being trapped, and under threat is common in gothic fiction because it allows us to see into the more isolated parts of the mind that we fear. I’ve mentioned before that gothic settings often include some sort of labyrinth, whether they be literal or metaphorical.