Gothic novels are characterized as an English genre of fiction popular in the 18th to early 19th centuries, characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror and having a pseudo medieval setting. The genre of gothic came to fruition back in the 11th and 12th century, but made a comeback in the 1800’s in the “Gothic Revival”, when many went back to. During this era there was a heavier implication of romanticism than when it originated which would be useful in my research to see whether or not the presentation of horror and mystery changes because of it. 

While there are many aspects of gothic literature, I want to focus on the more horror aspects and how they are portrayed within the novels and films, whether they are shown as something to strike fear or if they are romanticized. While most Gothic novels do have a romantic aspect, they are generally described as toxic and not wanted to be replicated.

The history of Gothic Literature being translated to modern films has never truly been analyzed, and certainly not to the extent of psychological horror. Many have analyzed the romance that can be found in gothic, at times encompassing a sub-genre called “gothic romance” but there is a lack of work looking into the horror aspects of these novels. While I do intend to look over the romance in these books, I want to specifically see how they correlate to the mystery/horror aspects that are shown in the books. Within many of these novels as analyzed previously by Carrie Dalby on her blog, there is a male love interest that is deeply flawed, being shown as more of an anti-hero or villain. I aim to see whether the romance tries to excuse the actions of the characters or aims for readers to root for them rather than hope they get “what they deserve”, while my work will not focus on this aspect whatsoever, unless it affects the perception of psych horror.