Die Rabe. Art and Picture Collection, NYPL (1912).
NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID:1702644
Gothic fiction as a genre was first established withthe publication of Horace Walpole’s dark, forebodingThe Castle of Otranto in 1764.In the centuries since, gothic fiction has not only flourished, but also branched off into many popular subgenres.
Early novels in the gothic horror subgenre heavily feature discussions of morality, philosophy, and religion, withthe evil villains most often acting asmetaphors for some sort of human temptation the hero must overcome. The novels'endings are more often than not unhappy, and romance is never the focus.
The battle between humanity and unnatural forces of evil (sometimes man-made, sometimes supernatural) within an oppressive, inescapable, and bleak landscape is considered to be the true trademark of a gothic horror novel. These are the core elements that separate gothic horror from its cousin, gothic romance. (Check out ourbrief history of gothic romance here!)
In 1818, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s debut novel, Frankenstein, marked a shift in gothic horror by changing the typical gothic villain from an evil man or supernatural creature into anphysical embodiment of human folly, brought to life through the power of science. Edgar Allan Poe managed to condense elements of gothic horror within his short stories, starting in 1839 with the release of "The Fall of the House of Usher." For more information on the Father of American Goth, check out our post: Where to Start with Edgar Allan Poe.
The Victorian era (1837-1901) produced some of the most well-known examples of gothic horror with the publication of such novels as Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White(1859)and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) andnovellas such as Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’sCarmilla(1871) andRobert Louis Stevenson’sThe Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1886). H.P. Lovecraft borrowed heavily from the genre, as did the authors of pulp fiction novels and comics that were published in the years following the end of the Victorian era. As a film genre, gothic horror saw a boom during the earlierdays of cinema, with the release of film adaptations of many of these novels, such as Universal’s Dracula (1931).
Although the genre was named after the gothic castles and crumbling medieval ruins so prevalent inearly novels, many modern gothic novels have moved away from this traditional setting towards more contemporary locations, such as the haunted house featured in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (1959) or the Bramford apartment building inIra Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby(1967). Aslong as the environment invokes a disturbing sense of unease and/or terror within the reader, then anywhere is fair game in a gothic horror novel!
So whether you’re a fan of creepy castles or terrifying apartment complexes, we’ve gathered a list of 15 gothic horror novels and novellas that are guaranteed to chill and thrill! (Summaries adapted from the publishers.)
