gothic novels and horror novels

[Aa01]

iz there anyone out there who could define a gothic novel from a horror novel?? also what are the key points to include in a gothic novel?? Please help !!

[KebabMeister]

Well, being an ex-Goth, if I were to include key points to make it more Gothy then you'd want dark moody settings, a past era such as Georgian or Victorian, cathedrals/castles/churches/graveyards (etc), a sense of passion/romance etc.  You could label many old horror films as gothic but gothic doesn't mean horror and vice-versa.  Mythical/supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves etc) do lean towards gothic but in reality it isn't but people don't really know that.  So it's kind of gothic by false default if that makes sense?

[dothawkes]

Gothic novels have a deep and morbid theme, such as Lady Audley's Secret, which engrosses the reader and develops the dark side of each characters.  That is a simple version, a horror novel tends to have an innocent and an evil, with alot of fantasy thrown in.

A Gothic novel should have a web of secrets that cause mental torture to the characters, who aren't meant to be liked by the reader, more pitied.  A bit vague I know.

[patrickwhite]

Horror stories of various kinds have been told in all ages while the literary tradition confusingly labelled "Gothic" is a distinctly modern development. Characteristically the theme is the stranglehold of the past upon the present or the encroachment of the "dark" ages of oppression upon the "enlightened" modern era.The theme is typically embodied in enclosed and haunted settings such as castles, crypts, convents or gloomy mansions, in images of ruin and decay and in episodes of imprisonment,cruelty and persecution. the 1st important experiment in the genre was Horace Walpole's"The Castle of Otranto". The leading exponent of the gothic novel was Mrs Ann Radcliffe.I have just completed my M.A. thesis on the Gothic novel! Hope this very poor introduction is of some use to you!

[Aa01]

thank you kebabmeister, dothawkes and patrickwhite i found all your answers very useful

[Grimalkin]

I would also add to the points already made that a strong sense of the uncanny persists in gothic fiction, contributing to the impression of oppression and darkness. 

Also I would stress that gothic is by no means confined to 18th/19th century settings, but features in many modernist/20th century novels as well.  Its features express the sense of alienation and fractured identity characteristic of modern experience.

[nicola_red]

can I add too that Freud's essay on 'The Uncanny' will help you in defining 'Gothic' in a literary sense.