These eerie locations also contribute to the feeling of fear and threat. The forests and wilderness in Gothic novels are symbolic of evil, sin, and immortality. Sometimes the action takes place in or near graveyards, dark forests, and wilderness. There are in fact the key elements for developing a gothic atmosphere. The architectural features of the buildings such as pointed towers, trapdoors, mysterious corridors, rusty hinges, and secret tunnels, all serve to entrap their helpless victims. In some novels, we see the protagonist being trapped in such places, either by some supernatural being or a callous villain, and hardly finds a way to go out. The desolation and scariness of the place have a tendency to invoke fear and terror in the character as well as the reader. A Gothic novel always opens in old castles, desolate mansions, haunted and abandoned houses, enchanted monasteries and ruined buildings – all displaying the aesthetics of Gothic architecture. A Desolate, Haunted Setting A Desolate, Haunted SettingĪ desolate, barren, and haunted setting is one of the major key elements in Gothic literature.
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