![]() ![]() As a noun, it is used as a literary term to refer to someone or something that is ugly in an unnatural way. The adjective ‘grotesque’ is defined as unnatural, unpleasant or exaggerated in a way that it is upsetting or shocking. Stevenson’s The Body Snatcher and more recently in Stephen King’s Pet Semetary, the unholy endeavour of raising the dead is a theme that is always bound to bring chills down the spine.įrom monstrous villains to possessed corpses, the grotesque is another hallmark of classic Gothic literature. Blend a sacrilegious crime with the supernatural, and you have a compelling Gothic novel. This practice was known as body snatching, a crime that became quite prominent in the 18 th century as scientists sought to unearth the secrets of the human body. Victor’s monster is assembled from various parts of real corpses, stolen from graveyards. In Frankenstein, the macabre is at the heart of the story. The purpose of Gothic literature is to terrify the reader, straddling the border between reality and unreality. ![]() The novel contains all the traditional hallmarks of Gothic literature: a castle setting, an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, an ancient prophecy, supernatural events, overwrought emotions, and the gloom, horror and omens that we’ve come to associate with the great works of Gothic literature. So firstly, what defines Gothic literature? According to scholars, the genre was invented by Horace Walpole and his novel The Castle of Otranto, published in 1764. In this blog, we’ll be divining the hallmarks of Gothic literature, including the popular themes you’ll spot across its key works. Since publication, Frankenstein has come to life on stage and screen, with many people considering it a pivotal work of both science fiction and Gothic writing. It tells the tale of the young, ambitious scientist Victor Frankenstein, who, in an attempt to play God, creates his own monster from human body parts. Nothing marks this turn of the seasons – and our reading preferences – better than Frankenstein Day on 30 th August.īorn 225 years ago, Mary Shelley is most famous for the Gothic novel Frankenstein, published in 1818. With dark nights, cold weather and the golden hues of the season to look forward to, it’s the perfect time of year to curl up with the works of Bram Stoker, Edgar Ellan Poe and H.P. ![]()
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