Research on the Gothic Horror Genre *

When we were first introduced to the topic of Gothic Horror and the Victorian Era, it seemed a strange time for such dark literature to be so popular. The Victorians took huge steps industrially, but in many ways this era was much more reserved than in previous years. Britian was very much governed by a strict class system, with only a small number being considered 'upper class'. It was a time of great gender inequality, while in the lives of Men a lot was changing due to economic changes, Women were still very much housewives serving the same role they had for years. The rules on fashion were possibly stricter than in previous era's as more of the body was covered by layers of heavy clothing and Women were supposed to refrain from wearing make up and being sexual as it was frowned upon in the eyes of God.

The word Gothic originated from the slightly eerie look of Gothic Architecture such as Westminster Abbey, as most Gothic Horror novels dealt with dark themes and so their natural settings were in buildings such as Churches, Monasteries, Abbeys and Castles

The Gothic genre started in the 18th century and followed through into the 19th, with novels such as Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and in the late Victorian period - Dracula. I did some further research into the time and found that it was in this time that being a Scientist became a respected profession, and drastic Scientific progress was made. In 1859 Charles Darwin released his novel 'Origins of a Species' telling his theories of evolution, which caused huge controversy and led to much discussion of the battle of science vs religion.

Most people use literature as a way of escaping, and reading transports them into a world more interesting than their own. I feel for the Victorians, this is exactly why they enjoyed the Gothic Genre so much. Novels such as Frankenstein link in with the Scientific discoveries that were being made, but really pushed the boundaries on what people had previously believed to be possible. Although this era was very forward thinking in the development of machinery and science, socially people were still very stuck in their ways which could of lead to a feeling of boredom.