 Ever wondered what Gothic literature really means? Or you're not entirely sure what the key elements of Gothic literature are and what to look for if you're currently reading a Gothic text? Stay tuned as I'll dive deep into what Gothic literature really is and key elements that make up this genre of writing. So let's get started. Now firstly let's address what is Gothic literature? What's the dictionary definition of Gothic literature? Now Gothic fiction essentially means a genre of literature that combines horror, death and sometimes romance. And Gothic literature often features strong world protagonists who are in isolated fearful settings and they're usually elements of sublime nature and supernatural fearful spectres. Now this type of fiction is designed to make us as readers feel a really strong sense of foreboding. Now before we go into the separate elements to look out for that compose Gothic literature let's look at some really famous Gothic novels because maybe you might be reading one of these types of novels or you might be familiar with them. Now when it comes to some famous Gothic novels and do bear in mind we actually have summary videos summarizing these different novels. Here are a selection of a few famous Gothic texts. One of them is Ordering Heights by Charlotte Bronte. Another very famous which we've done lots and lots of different revision videos on so please do check out our channel is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. There's also Frankenstein by Murray Sheddy one which we also have lots of videos on. Dracula by Baram Stoker. The Picture of Doreen Gray by Oscar Wilde. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. Jane Eyre again by Charlotte Bronte. Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier and The Legend of sleepy hollow by Washington Irving. So these are just a few of very many Gothic fiction novels that are available for you to read. Now when it comes to key elements of Gothic fiction and these elements that you're going to see in all of these novels here are a few elements. Now let's first start off with the setting that's used. Now often in Gothic fiction writers and the authors of these stories feature old rundown structures especially castles, mansions, country manners, where we find hidden passages, trapdoors, dungeons, secret rooms decline from the former greatness and also when it comes to the setting writers often create bleak and foreboding environments so you'll find lots of dark forests, imposing mountains, tempestuous weather and areas which are far away from civilization because all these elements really create an atmosphere of fear, foreboding and we as readers sense a strong feeling of tension. Moreover when it comes to setting other elements of setting include a castle usually quite ruined and haunted or ruined buildings as I've mentioned mansions for instance which tend to be sinister or which arouse a sense of melancholy. You also find dungeons, underground passages, crypts and catacombs which in modern novels so in modern Gothic texts have spooky basements for instance or scary attics. You also of course have labyrinths feature dark corridors and winding stairs and there are lots of shadows, a beam of moonlight for example in the blackness or a flickering candle or the only source of light which could be a very weak candle failing and of course the threat of darkness. Also when it comes to landscapes that tend to be very extreme such as rugged mountains, thick forests, icy wastes and really extreme weather and of course also the things like marshes featured. Now when it comes to the protagonist and the typical style of protagonist in these types of stories the plot often involves hidden secrets which threaten the protagonist and the protagonist tends to be isolated or alone. The protagonist also senses some kind of physical entrapment so they're usually far away from civilization and they experience emotional needs and tension as they tend to be cut off from the people that are closest to them. These protagonists also tend to have a high social ranking so think for instance of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde. Now the main character Dr. Jekyll is of a high social status. Also if we go further with this example they tend to suffer from psychological conflict and in a turmoil again Dr. Jekyll had a hidden side hence why he created Mr. Hyde in order to try to placate this psychological conflict. Often they tend to suffer from this tragic flaw which ultimately leads to their downfall so for instance if we think about Frankenstein, think about Victor Frankenstein's own tragic downfall and his ambition. Now another element of gothic fiction is to do with the female characters, the women. Now there are usually two main female roles that tend to be given to women in these types of texts. You either have the predator or the helpless victim so firstly the predator tends to be dangerous yet powerfully attractive. Think of the sisters in Dracula and the women who are classified as predators help to portray the plain and pleasure paradox that is quite synonymous with gothic literature. On the other end of it you tend to have women cast as the helpless damsel in distress. They are fragile, vulnerable, they're often frightened and they suffer from some kind of ailment and the writer tends to give the protagonist or rather the woman and the protagonist something to rescue so it's up to the protagonist to rescue this helpless damsel in distress and often this helpless damsel is the prize for the male protagonist's brave endeavors. Now when it comes to the supernatural elements of gothic fiction so the supernatural is a key defining element in the gothic and writers invoke the supernatural directly or they rely upon the imagination of the reader to provide it. So the supernatural tends to build suspense. We witness ghosts, dead spirits and uncanny characters and stories often include omens, ancestral cure curses, magic, the supernatural manifestations or the suggestion of the uncanny. Now also especially when you think about stories such as Frankenstein and the strange case of Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde, science is involved so some of the gothic literature especially gothic literature created and written during the Victorian era dealt with science and this is because contextually people like Charles Darwin became massive during this period and advances in science made people especially Victorians quite fearful of whether man would try to use science to replace God and do a natural action. Therefore the gothic literature exploits this fear and we get the worst case scenario depicted. So for example think of Frankenstein and the creature who ultimately destroys his creator and this creature was caused through science. Now when it comes to emotions explored in gothic literature often it's very dramatic. There's lots of high emotions triggered by murders, kidnappings, people going mad or tragic illnesses running through a family. So for instance think of some of Edgar Allen Poe's stories such as the fall of the house of Usherward. There's a tragic illness that captures this one family. Also of course emotions can run high and characters tend to be quite passionate to strong world. They defy others and even sometimes they defy their own common sense in pursuit of their goals and women in this context tend to be quite curious and they have a tendency to swoon while men storm and rage in reflection of unseen inner torments and there's a heightened sense of drama. Furthermore there are lots of extreme emotions triggered by murders, kidnappings, people going mad and there's a lot of horror. There's terror which we experience and of course which your characters experience in the macabre and the sinister is all experienced in this. Furthermore there's a focus when it comes to the style of writing on emotional rather than rational thinking and characters tend to be quite passionate, strong-willed and defy others and so that's really it when it comes to gothic fiction. Thank you so much for listening and if you found this video useful do make sure you check out our other video summaries of some of the most famous gothic texts including Wuthering Heights, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and more. Furthermore if there's a gothic text that we haven't covered in our channel please do let us know in the comments box as we'll do our best to make a summary revision video to help you in your studies. Thank you so much for listening.