Do the flickering lights of an abandoned castle shake your heart? Or do the faceless voices cloud your head after you finish reading? Spooky novels or books can change the rhythm of your soul scarily and chaotically. But it only happens to the faint hearts. For those who are into seeking supernatural understanding, the gothic genre of novels is the best for them.
If you are a brave soul settled on exploring a frightful journey, reading gothic books would serve your goal. Apart from being scary, these books will also enthrall you so much that you would stay glued with each sentence.
Gothic Universe- See It Closer
Generally, ‘gothic’ is synonymous with terror, spookiness, suspicion, and gloom. The first work of the gothic genre in literature was recorded in the 18th century. A gothic literary work involves horrific, suspicious and dark imagery. This genre is also associated with decay and death.
Often in gothic literature, you will find plots that are bound by some evil, supernatural force. This genre also extends to gruesome deaths and decaying. These types of stories also include elements like bleak woods, old castles, stranded homes, and sunless skies. Such elements further amplify the genre, making the readers imagine the background for the plot to take place.
This genre also includes the demonstration of myths, superstitions, curses, and bad omens. These mystical and spiritual elements stand as a justification of why the characters are in a particular situation, or why the setting has turned the way it is.
In a nutshell, the gothic genre explores the unilluminated side of the human mind. Though there might be light, the demons do stay back and haunt our imaginations time and again.
7 Realms With Shaking Gothic Plots
After knowing what the gothic genre is, it is mandatory to know the must-read piece of it. These masterpieces will surely give you a detailed insight into the eerie world and make your head not forget them soon.
Here are the top 7 realms of the gothic world by Podium School, with uncanny plots that might keep you wide awake even in dark.
The Castle Of Otranto- Horace Walpole
Penned as the first novel in the gothic genre, The Castle of Otranto was written by Horace Walpole in 1764. The novel is a mixture of eeriness, suspense and highlights the features of Italian medievalism. It is called to be the prominent piece for shaping the other books and plots in the same genre. The novel will take you further into the genre with chained towers, shadowed passages, and the appearance of damsel and knight. The plot for the novel was born out of Walpole’s nightmare. The novel also includes the deadly castle, the Strawberry Hill House. Once you start reading it, you will surely have chills running across your mind and body.
Dracula- Bram Stoker
Do you know about the vampire dripping blood? If you don’t, then Dracula is one you should read and know. An epistolary novel published in 1897, Dracula combines spooky effects with folklores and rustic history. The plot has not one protagonist as it is a collection of diary entries and articles. The novel will scare you with the bloodthirstiness of Dracula and aura of uneasiness. The book also has a curing dimension to the blood loss and wounds by Dracula. The novel brings you the existence of horror even in the terms of modernity. Once you start knowing Count Dracula, you cannot but wake up every night to check any possible vampire wounds.
Frankenstein- Mary Shelley
What will you do if a creature other than a human impedes your way? A similar creature named Frankenstein was made in Mary Shelley’s novel of the same name. The novel involves the terror of supernatural creatures made with aid of science. Shelley wrote the novel after she visited Frankenstein Castle, where two decades before an alchemist had created an unnatural creature. The novel also harbors themes of ruptured romance and the lurking shadow of supernaturality. However, what could calm your heart is the longing of the creature for his creator.
The Turn Of the Screw- Henry James
With screeching noise, illusions, and a sunless home, The Turn Of the Screw will blow your mind. This novel published in 1898, reveals the horror of being in reality and an illusioned world. The novel is also filled with lurking shadows that the governess finds roaming on the ground floor of the silent house. Everything about the country house gives the reader a gut-wrenching vibe of horrific possibilities. Throughout the plot of the novel, one can go through the dilemma of the governess of actually seeing a ghost or just imagining it. The primary question which continues to loop around even today about the novel is “where the ghosts were real?”
The Haunting Of Hill House- Shirley Jackson
Considered to be the best gothic story published during the 20th century, The Haunting Of Hill House will place you under grinding fear and might force you to lose your sanity too. The unusual element of the novel is the horror of thoughts rather than the creepiness of the hill house. The book further elucidates the psychological fear and the influence of overthinking fearfully. However, at times, the readers could be stuck in identifying between the paranormality of mind and place.
Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte
Known famously for unrequited love, Wuthering Heights is more than just a tale of two lovers in agony. Apart from the pain and revenge between the dwellers of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, the novel brings out the eeriness too. The moors were wild and gloomy which will instill a sense of fear and sadness into the readers’ minds. Along with this, the blistering nights and Catherine’s voice on those days will shiver your heart. The soul of Heathcliff and Catherine sighted by people on moors adds to the frightening genre of the novel. Once you read, you will not just feel agony but an unusual harkening in your heart.
These are the masterpieces of the gothic world which you must read to know a frightening yet curious world.
Final Alarming Thoughts
Reading different genres will add to your knowledge and imagination. It will open your mind to think beyond the line and interpret scenarios with a prismatic lens. You can try Podium School’s trending and beneficial classes to develop your reading, speaking, and writing.
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Till then, hold your heart as you enter the world of spine-tingling words! Beware of presence!
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