How do you define 'classic gothics'?

[Desdemona]

Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but I was researching, and this is what Dean Koontz wrote in regards to 'traditional' Gothic Romances:

Where did you read this? I have a number of Dean Koontz books waiting to be read and I have heard great things about him. I'm intrigued that he analyzed the Gothic Romance genre.

[Epigraph]

Where did you read this?...I'm intrigued that he analyzed the Gothic Romance genre.

It's from a PFD file I downloaded, I'm not sure from where. I could send it to you if you'd like. He basically analyzes the formulas to various genres. He writes about how to write a book, and formulate a story. He touches all sorts of genres and subgenres. Westerns, Gothic Romance, Erotic, Science Fiction, Fantasy, etc.

[ginnystrait]

I am writing a Victorian Gothic Mystery. Also, I am writing as in the classic style. There are many wonderful Gothics out there if anyone wants to consider the 19th century. I am currently reading UNCLE SILAS by J.S. LeFanu written in the 19th century. It is a Victorian Gothic Novel of Mystery. He is considered one of the best. The Bronte sisters have written gothic and Wilkie Collins was incredible. Amazon has a gothic novel link that I found. My novel is requiring quite an amount of research so I have a number of books that I have not gotten to yet. I have to admit that I am more into the mystery genre than I am the romance. In the 70's and 80's I read a lot of romance, Holt, Daniel, Stewart, Michaels, etc. THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO by Ann Radcliffe written in 1794 is true gothic.
It's interesting to see how genres evolve over the years but whether it is romance, mystery, or paranomal, there are certain things the gothic must have to please gothic readers.At the moment I am taking a Gothic Novel writing course online. However, it has been a big disappoint because it is set up more for beginning writers than it truly is to teach gothic style.

[ginnystrait]

Me again. I work for a large book wholesaler. I have to tell you, our catalogers would never catalogue Mary Higgins Clark as Gothic. Even Stephen King is a stretch, although he is a wonderful horror/thriller eriter, as is Koontz.

[Desdemona]

I am writing a Victorian Gothic Mystery. Also, I am writing as in the classic style. There are many wonderful Gothics out there if anyone wants to consider the 19th century. I am currently reading UNCLE SILAS by J.S. LeFanu written in the 19th century. It is a Victorian Gothic Novel of Mystery. He is considered one of the best. The Bronte sisters have written gothic and Wilkie Collins was incredible. Amazon has a gothic novel link that I found. My novel is requiring quite an amount of research so I have a number of books that I have not gotten to yet. I have to admit that I am more into the mystery genre than I am the romance. In the 70's and 80's I read a lot of romance, Holt, Daniel, Stewart, Michaels, etc. THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO by Ann Radcliffe written in 1794 is true gothic.
It's interesting to see how genres evolve over the years but whether it is romance, mystery, or paranomal, there are certain things the gothic must have to please gothic readers.At the moment I am taking a Gothic Novel writing course online. However, it has been a big disappoint because it is set up more for beginning writers than it truly is to teach gothic style.

Hi there,

What's the Amazon gothic novel link? I wonder if it's the same one I came across once, but can't seem to find at the moment. Also, where did you find the Gothic Novel writing course? Is that through a University?

Sorry for the cross-examination, but I'm intrigued!

[Edgar Theodore Machen]

I have my own classification in this regard:
1) "Early Gothic" (1764 - 1796) is a pre-romantic literature of entertaining-moralizing persuasion. The foundations of the genre are laid.
2) "Mature Gothic" (1796-1840-e / 1850-e) - Romantic stage. For this period, the emphasis is on the villain. Such literature is widely disseminated in continental Europe.
3) "Late Gothic" (Mid-19th Century - 1920s) - Gothic Literature is losing its former popularity, the decomposition of genre bases begins, and signs of modern horror literature are showing up. As a separate stage, we can distinguish the Gothic Revival of the 80-90s, when the genre is significantly influenced by symbolist and decadent literature.
4) Neo-Gothic (from the 1920s) - Modern continuers of the Gothic novel - "Southern Gothic", "Cosmic Horror", "Romantic Gothic" and so on. Burningly split up to the 70's, but continues to exist as an active literary trend.
5) Postgothic (from the late 1970s) is an original literary trend, founded by the writer Anne Rice. The protagonist is often not the victim, but the monster himself. A distinctive feature of modern Gothic is increased external gloom. Heroes are often pale, even if they are human. If in the classical Gothic accent was done on spiritual torment, then in post-Gothic on material, corporal. Unlike dark fantasy, there is no conquering universal evil, the general atmosphere is closer to black and white or even gray-white.

[ZackFerrum]

Me again. I work for a large book wholesaler. I have to tell you, our catalogers would never catalogue Mary Higgins Clark as Gothic. Even Stephen King is a stretch, although he is a wonderful horror/thriller eriter, as is Koontz.

Some put Stephen King in "gothic" category? Really?

[Edgar Theodore Machen]

Me again. I work for a large book wholesaler. I have to tell you, our catalogers would never catalogue Mary Higgins Clark as Gothic. Even Stephen King is a stretch, although he is a wonderful horror/thriller eriter, as is Koontz.

Some put Stephen King in "gothic" category? Really?

In fact, I've often come across such a thing, and in fact Stephen King as a writer of modern horror experienced the influence of Gothic Prose. But he has other images and a different set of topics. In fact, analyzing what is a gothic after the 1830s, you can easily sit in a puddle. So Lovecraft in his essay on the horror literature calls Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and Rebert Lewis Stevenson representatives of the "half Gothic, half Romantic-moralistic school," while Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde for him are representatives of other directions. And today many of them and Lovecraft himself consider Lovecraft to be a Gothic school.