Literature is about entertainment and instruction. In the case of Gothic mystery it seems that entertainment may be ascendant. The genre has so many obvious features of entertainment that some people might think that instruction plays a relatively minor role except to teach wide eyed girls to be very careful of men, particularly those with dark piercing eyes wearing a cloak and living in a castle.
The Castle of Otranto was the first novel in this genre, published in 1764 and written by Horace Walpole. Many similar works by other authors followed. Novels, poems, plays, films and even architectural features that belong in the genre have particular features which make them identifiable.
Long ago Aristotle proposed that literary works need opposite impulses of fear and pity to make them interesting. One advances towards pity to help but retreats from fear to escape. The tension in the imagination inspires irresistible interest and involvement. In this genre readers or viewers experience pity for the vulnerable heroine and fear of her tormentor.
Mysteries do not have to be extreme but they must involve the unknown. As readers are taken through a process of revelation their curiosity is both stimulated and satisfied. Literary works in which curiosity is mixed in with pity and fear are potently interesting. Readers can easily become addicted romping through stories rapidly.
Early examples of the genre were often set in castles. These are buildings that are supposed to be safe, and yet they can often be seen as frightening places especially when they have towers and passages that are often dark. In contemporary tales writers may abandon the castle for a large building built for one purpose but serving another such as an abandoned factory.
Metonymy is an effective literary ploy much favored in Gothic mystery. The small, ordinary house comes to stand for the psychological perversion of the people who live in it. As the rules of the genre are followed many opportunities for metonymy emerge adding to the entertainment possibilities for audiences who wish to enjoy the thrills of being frightened.
The Castle of Otranto was the first novel in this genre, published in 1764 and written by Horace Walpole. Many similar works by other authors followed. Novels, poems, plays, films and even architectural features that belong in the genre have particular features which make them identifiable.
Long ago Aristotle proposed that literary works need opposite impulses of fear and pity to make them interesting. One advances towards pity to help but retreats from fear to escape. The tension in the imagination inspires irresistible interest and involvement. In this genre readers or viewers experience pity for the vulnerable heroine and fear of her tormentor.
Mysteries do not have to be extreme but they must involve the unknown. As readers are taken through a process of revelation their curiosity is both stimulated and satisfied. Literary works in which curiosity is mixed in with pity and fear are potently interesting. Readers can easily become addicted romping through stories rapidly.
Early examples of the genre were often set in castles. These are buildings that are supposed to be safe, and yet they can often be seen as frightening places especially when they have towers and passages that are often dark. In contemporary tales writers may abandon the castle for a large building built for one purpose but serving another such as an abandoned factory.
Metonymy is an effective literary ploy much favored in Gothic mystery. The small, ordinary house comes to stand for the psychological perversion of the people who live in it. As the rules of the genre are followed many opportunities for metonymy emerge adding to the entertainment possibilities for audiences who wish to enjoy the thrills of being frightened.
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