Gothicism in Harry Potter

[Ilyria]

What gothic elements do you see in the Harry Potter series? Do you think these books are modern-day Gothic novels? How do they deviate from traditional gothic charachteristics?

[Monique Devereaux]

My opinion is that they are fantasy/heroic quest novels with dark elements. Their lineage is the Arthurian Tales, not the Castle of Otranto. I enjoy the Harry Potter books very much, but do not see any relation to Gothic Romance novels whatsoever. There rarely, if ever, is any bona fide magic elements in Gothic Romance. The heroine is occasionally pitted against supernatural elements, but usually only in terms of a mystery (why is a ghost haunting this lonely place?)