08-11-2008, 10:52 AM
Manderley Wrote:Just curious: What's the most important element in the novel: The gothic setting or the romantic storyline?
I believe that's a subjective decision that is dependent upon the individual reader's taste. I think what you are saying is that you prefer gothic novels to gothic romance novels.
The three key ingredients of a gothic romance novel, IMHO, are romance, life-threatening suspense, and a puzzle/mystery. The gothic setting (castle, spooky mansion, etc.) is frosting on the cake.
Please don't be shy about expressing your opinions on this forum. Its members have a broad spectrum of tastes, all within the gothic romance genre. They all apparently are interested in communicating with other gothic romance lovers. There may be other forums for those that prefer gothic novels without the romance element. I'm not into those, so I haven't sought them out.
