intro by Emma @ invaluable.com

With Halloween just gone and NaNoWriMo upon us, there’s no better time than the present to explore the genre of Gothic literature. It’s truly one of the eeriest, darkest forms of literature. The term first appeared in Horace Walpole’s 1764 book, The Castle of Otranto, and since, notable authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Ann Radcliffe, and many others have been gracing us with mystifying stories. While each takes on its own style, Gothic novels incorporate certain, specific elements to ensure the plot is truly captivating.

Hellloo my fellow bookworms! Welcome one and all to this special little post today about Gothic literature, one of the best (if I may say so) genres of literature out there. A big thanks to my friend Emma from Invaluable who has put together an inspiring graphic that helps break down the nitty gritty of what gothic literature IS. To see her full post click HERE.

One of my favourite classics – no, my FAVOURITE classic – is Frankenstein and ever since reading is one Halloween night many moons ago (okay, I studied over the course of a semester at school but SHUSH and let me be dramatic) I’ve fallen in love with the story.

And! Seeing as we are all furiously tapping away at our keyboards this NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) I thought what better a time to share this?! Thanks to Emma, we can now check off ten essential elements we need in gothic literature to beef it up to its maximum Frankenstein-y-ness!

So I hope you found this helpful today, I certainly thought this was an awesome nugget of information. Whether you’re writing gothic fiction, reading for pleasure or studying – now you can safely say you know more of this spooky genre and call yourself an expert.

What’s your favourite piece of gothic fiction?

~~ Kirstie ~~

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