The Gothic novel uses a set of elements to provoke fear in the reader. Therefore, at the heart of the genre there lies often prophecies, omens, ancestral curses and secrets.
Some examples are the The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, 1764.Here, an ancient prophecy sets the wheels in motion for a tragic horror tale.In the The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886 it is a terrible secret the one that instills fear in the reader.
1. A gloomy, or dark setting (haunted house, church, dark forest, castle, etc.) 2. Supernatural being or monsters (zombie, vampire, ghost, etc.) 3. Curses, witchcraft, or prophecies 4. A damsel in distress and/or a hero character 5. Can contain romance and contains very intense emotions (Love, fear, hatred, etc.)
