What makes it Gothic and not just 'Horror'?

A closer look at Gothic horror.

If it features any of these things, it’s probably a Gothic horror novel:

• An isolated castle or mansion.

• A locked door (either metaphorical or literal).

• The supernatural (not in all cases).

• Forbidden desires.

• A tormented hero or villain.

• Love and decay.

You can however, get as Gothic as you want without the castle.

I have been asked ‘why is The Spider Gothic Horror?’ and it’s simple.

Isolation

Isolation features as a Gothic trope in the sense of not just Frances Bryant being separated from her husband and locked away in her room, but also the life of Mary Hobbs and of course the maid—’Maggie’ Margaret Ross. All three of these characters are faced with isolation: Mary is isolated because of her marital situation, Maggie because of her secrets and Frances because of her husband leaving her and she is also subjected to forced medical treatment. The story takes place in a townhouse in the middle of a city, but isolation doesn’t always have to happen in a big draughty castle. Eleanor Vance in The Haunting Of Hill House becomes mentally isolated from her peers when staying at the house. The house is also literally isolated. A double whammy from Jackson there.

A locked door.

This can be both literal and metaphorical. The locked door is a common trope in Gothic fiction: Bertha Rochester living in the attic in Jane Eyre, H.G Wells’ The Red Room, and of course the numerous doors in The Haunting Of Hill House and Dracula. I didn’t even notice I’d done this in The Spider, but hey, Gothic habits die hard. In a metaphorical sense, the locked door can be a symbol of the character’s mind refusing to accept things, or their struggle with facing what’s behind the door. In Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the Haunting Of Hill House, the red room was very much representative of the heart of the house, where it would consume those it desired.

The supernatural.

The house is haunted, but this ghost is part of a bigger picture. The spirits of the house are instrumental in the unravelling of the mystery of The Spider. In Wuthering Heights, the ghost of Cathy sets the tone for the rest of the tale, and what makes it particularly haunting is that there is no resolution: she will continue haunting. The same goes for The Woman In Black: Arthur Kipps attempts to apply logic and reason, but the supernatural wins. The supernatural e.g. Dracula, also provides an excellent, timeless portrayal of the battle between good and evil.

Forbidden desires.

Dorian Gray comes to mind immediately here. He is an excellent example of man’s inner struggle to stay on the straight and narrow, and failing. Moral decay in order to obtain forbidden desires is a prevalent theme running through Gothic horror particularly. Dorian wishes to be young forever, and he can do that as long as his hideous, decaying soul is locked away from sight. We also have forbidden desires such as the desire Manfred has for his daughter-in-law in The Castle Of Otranto. This was an absolute no-no (unless you were a Hapsburg), but things we know are wrong can reign freely in Gothic fiction, and that’s part of why it’s so compelling—it holds a mirror up to the darkest shadows of society.

I’m also going to lump the 'I can change him!’ trope in here: the female character pursues the wicked male love interest because she believes that deep down, there is goodness. There never was, and there never will be. Heathcliff was not husband material: Cathy knew it and Isabella Linton eventually learned. See also: Mary Hobbs in The Spider.

A tormented hero or villain.

This can also be the Byronic hero: Edward Rochester (Jane Eyre), Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights) and even Sherlock Holmes are classic Byronic heroes. Byronic heroes often possess a mysterious magnetism, high levels of intelligence and live as educated outcasts to some degree. They also possess self-destructive tendencies—and in Heathcliff’s case—a raw. unrelenting primal power or spirit. Daniel Muldoon is one of those characters, but as he’s the hero of the series, I will try and keep him from doing anything too rash. Byronic heroes are compelling because they do have flaws, and they do make mistakes. They are very human characters and in Sherlock Holmes’ case, the arrogance both helps them thrive but will also set them up the challenges coming their way.

“I envy you your peace of mind, your clean conscience, your unpolluted memory. Little girl, a memory without blot of contamination must be an exquisite treasure-an inexhaustible source of pure refreshment: is it not?”—Jane Eyre.

Love and decay.

Romance, romance, romance. I can’t believe how many noses turn upwards at the mention of romance because—wow, this is a solid, strong trope that exists within so many genres and sub-genres. Gothic romance (Northanger Abbey, Rebecca) can also be horror. An example of this is The Vampires Of El Norte. The actions of the Byronic heroes, and of course the villains, can sometimes be attributed to love. It’s a solid motivation: In Jane Eyre, Mr Rochester is willing to commit bigamy because he’s in love with Jane Eyre, and wants to run off into the sunset for a fresh start with a new woman. Heathcliff is so passionately obsessed with Cathy that he torments her for the rest of her life for not choosing him. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Heathcliff and Cathy are a great example of love but there is an all-consuming power there that won’t let them live happily unless they’re together.

Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!— Wuthering Heights.

Using Poe as an example now, the house of Usher is decaying rapidly and the love between the siblings (read the way Roderick describes Madeline. Read it!) is the only thing holding the house together. There’s a strong theme of love and decay in The Ring (Muldoon) also. Again, it’s a common feature in Gothic horror.

Not all of these tropes are required to make it a Gothic horror story, but the chances are that if there are a couple in the book, it might well be Gothic horror.

Next week, we’ll be looking at Egyptomania and why it’s so Gothic.

Thanks for dropping in. Did you know that I have a Gothic mystery series out? You can find more about it here, or by clicking on the image below.