How Has Gothic Literature Changed Over Time

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Is it fun to be scared? Many people think so. In fact, if they were to be combined together Thriller/Suspense and Horror, which can be considered gothic, make the 5th most popular movie genre following only comedy, adventure, drama, and action (The Statistics Portal). First of all, the Gothic genre has changed over the years. Gothic literature continues to be popular today. First of all, the Gothic genre has changed over the years. In fact, ghost stories have been told for thousands of years. Gothic Literature began in the late 1700’s with the first gothic novel The Castle of Otranto which was written by Horace Walpole (LibriVox). Early gothic literature included stories that took place in Gothic mansions, which is why we call this type of writing “gothic literature”. Gothic literature comes from the sublime, or an emphasis of extreme environments. However, in the mid 19th century gothic literature began to move away from the sublime to the supernatural. Today, gothic literature is associated with Victorian culture. Today, the gothic is considered the same as a ghost story by many people (Capuna). In fact, Gothic literature was so popular that many early films such as Spook Tale (1895), The Manor of the Devil (1896), and…show more content…
It is similar because it includes a creepy house, pathetic fallacy, and high emotion, and has a rational protagonist. Another similarity that The Woman in Black has with most gothic literature is that it is highly emotional. However, there are also differences between The Woman in Black and most gothic literature. Most gothic literature has a female heroine who is often in distress. However, The Woman in Black includes a male heroine who is always in distress. Conversely, most gothic literature has a male villain who would put the female heroine in distress. The Woman in Black includes a female villain who terrorizes a male
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