IST 605: Discovering the Women of Gothic Literature

Welcome to my LibGuide where you will find information in regard to The Women of Gothic Literature!  I’ve always been fascinated with gothic novels. The dark gloomy castles, the damsel in distress, the strength of such damsel or main character overcoming obstacles that "may” go boo in the night and the women authors who write them. 

History Time

• What is gothic literature? The encyclopedia Britannica describes gothic literature as fiction that is created from using the medieval castles and ruins of old days as a part of the setting to reflect the mood of the​​​ story, which usually has a more dark, mysterious and secretive plot.
• There are usually 4 subgenres that can be labeled gothic in nature:
  • Southern Gothic - Southern American roots, violence, decay, poverty, and throw in the supernatural. Authors like Toni Morrison and her book Beloved.
  • Gothic Romance - Romance with a little supernatural thrown in. Suspense, mystery, like Charlote Bronte's Jane Eyre.
  • Gothic Horror - Creatures that go boo into the night or night creatures such as vampires and werewolves.  Think, Mary Shelley and her Frankenstein.
  • Contemporary Gothic - Our modern era of gothic literature, time and settings of contemporary places usually the more psychological horror and suspense.  Anne Rice and her The Vampire Lestat or Mayfair Witches books would be cataloged here. 

• The first book to be deemed “gothic” was by Horace Walpole called The Castle Otranto, this defined any future writers of the macabre and it includes a haunted castle and a falling helmet! 

          Here’s the link if you want to delve further:

                                           https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Castle-of-Otranto