The appeal of the gothic novel is not immediately obvious. People seem drawn into the element of fear that it creates. When the elements that are common to it are analyzed it might become clear which fears within them it appeals to.
The setting is usually some creepy castle or mansion with hidden rooms and tunnels. This is directly unfamiliar to most of people but it does conjure a sense of the power structures which keep things hidden. It relates to the sense of distrust for the inner machinations of corporate, political or powerful family organizations.
There is also always some form of haunting or esoteric element. A prophecy or prediction will portend the doom which we know is about to unfold. Disturbing dreams or visions might also hint at some dark tragedy.
All these things are very closely related to a feeling that people might have that they are powerless against their own fate. For all the control that they think they might have their might be the worry that there are some things cannot be escaped. This is a very big part of the overall plot.
This feeling is re-enforced even more by the ever present damsel in distress. She is always innocent and at the mercy of some more powerful and sinister master. This creates a desire to escape which might be familiar to most people in their daily lives.
So although the situations might seem far removed from our daily lives it does play on feelings that we are familiar with. These feelings are just made more intense but the very dramatic settings. Our fear of death is heightened and illuminated by the presence of ghouls and ghosts.
In the end people all desire to be freed from the forces which control them, whether these are obvious or unexplained. This is why they are attracted to the vanquishing hero who reveals the hidden truth. The gothic novel might seem far removed from everyday life but it actually plays on our very immediate fears. Gothic Novel
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