LIT 2310: Gothic and Horror Literature -Auld: Getting Started

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Horror Literature

Popular fiction and drama whose chief purpose is to thrill its audience with dread, disgust, and terror. Although many old works partake of horror motifs, such as William Shakespeare's Macbeth (pr. 1606), modern horror literature is a development from gothic fiction. The typical plot takes place in evil locations populated by warped humans, witches, demons, fabulous beings, such as vampires, and spirits and develops on the basis of any macabre actions, principally grisly violence, that terrifies readers. H. P. Lovecraft is the undisputed master of early horror literature and Stephen King of modern horror novels.
 

"Horror Literature." Literary Reference Center. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.

Gothic Literature

During the Renaissance, “gothic” was a term for anything barbaric and medieval. The adjective is based on the Germanic Goths, who captured and pillaged Rome in 410, bringing an end to the empire and, in the view of later ages, its superior culture. Gothic literature, then, refers to any sensationalized work that involves the mystery, wildness, and supernaturalism that has long been associated with the Middle Ages. The settings are usually desolate countryside or dark forests and gloomy castles or monasteries, where ghosts of the murdered linger and horrible events occur. Virtuous heroes and heroines confront dark villains, usually aristocratic and having supernatural powers.

"Gothic Literature." Literary Reference Center. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.