A Gothic mystery is a novel that has several different elements, the main two being romance and horror. The genre originated with an English author named Horace Walpole who authored a book called 'The Castle of Otranto' in 1764 which is widely considered the first ever of this kind.
Some of the horror elements in these books include ghosts, terror, vampires, broken-down buildings, murder, and blood. There is also the element of a romance, concerning an innocent lonely young woman and a guilt-bearing hero to save the maiden, usually the main characters of the story.
The story's setting is another important element. It is usually set in a mysterious mansion or spooky castle. There is usually a family superstition or curse surrounding the people's home. This helps to establish the situation resulting in the heroine's terror and the mystery to be solved.
Anti-Catholicism and parody are also elements of novels of the sort. Because of scandals in the Catholic church, there was a time during the 1700s when distrust of Catholic clergy was rampant. As a result, priests, monks or friars were the protagonists in these stories. In this sort of book, parody was used to train an ignorant character and to make fun of a real life situation.
Some of the first novels of this kind are: 'The Old English Baron' by Clara Reeve, 'The Mysteries of Uldolpho' by Anne Radcliffe, and 'The Castle Spectre' by Matthew Gregory Lewis. Other authors using these elements include Emily Bronte, Washington Irving, William Shakespeare, and Stephen King. The different variations of this genre are Romantic, Victorian, Female and Satiric.
The Gothic mystery is a novel that can be enjoyable if the reader likes that sort of story. They may be obtained at libraries, used book stores or online. With many variations of story within its genre, there is something available for anyone.
Some of the horror elements in these books include ghosts, terror, vampires, broken-down buildings, murder, and blood. There is also the element of a romance, concerning an innocent lonely young woman and a guilt-bearing hero to save the maiden, usually the main characters of the story.
The story's setting is another important element. It is usually set in a mysterious mansion or spooky castle. There is usually a family superstition or curse surrounding the people's home. This helps to establish the situation resulting in the heroine's terror and the mystery to be solved.
Anti-Catholicism and parody are also elements of novels of the sort. Because of scandals in the Catholic church, there was a time during the 1700s when distrust of Catholic clergy was rampant. As a result, priests, monks or friars were the protagonists in these stories. In this sort of book, parody was used to train an ignorant character and to make fun of a real life situation.
Some of the first novels of this kind are: 'The Old English Baron' by Clara Reeve, 'The Mysteries of Uldolpho' by Anne Radcliffe, and 'The Castle Spectre' by Matthew Gregory Lewis. Other authors using these elements include Emily Bronte, Washington Irving, William Shakespeare, and Stephen King. The different variations of this genre are Romantic, Victorian, Female and Satiric.
The Gothic mystery is a novel that can be enjoyable if the reader likes that sort of story. They may be obtained at libraries, used book stores or online. With many variations of story within its genre, there is something available for anyone.
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