10 Things You Probably Did not Know of Gothic Literature.

So, I would like to give you 10 interesting facts of Gothic Literature.

1- A common thread shared by some noted authors of early Gothic literature is their youthfulness. Mary Shelley, the mastermind behind “Frankenstein,” was just 21 when her book was published, John Keats was 24 when his Gothic fiction-infused piece “The Eve of St. Agnes” was first inked, and it was a 17-year-old Percy Bysshe Shelley who created the infamous demon Zastrozzi – the main character of his novel by the same name, published in 1810.

2- The first issue of "The Portrait of Dorian Grey" circa 1891, was sold for 13000 dollars, through Heritage Auction Galleries in October 2008. The copy was printed on paper that was larger in size than the trade edition – adding to its rarity.

3- In early Gothic literature, like so many other literary genres of the time, many women used male pseudonyms to better position their work for publication. A perfect example of this is the Bronte sisters – Charlotte (“Jane Eyre”) and Emily (“Wuthering Heights”). Both women, along with their sister Ann, used the last name Bell and a male first name with their early writings.

4- Gothic literature draws on a combination of terror and romanticism as its foundation – which explains the frequent appearance of the likes of monsters, maniac villains, supernatural creatures, angels, magicians and at least one docile character who encounters one or more sinister beings in their adventures.

5- Gothic fiction played a part in starting to expand the prevalence of women in literature. Many women served as writers, publishers, editors and translators of Gothic fiction, dating back to its beginnings. Although it has taken a long time for this to be the case, one of the most popular and best paid novelists in 18th century England was Ann Radcliffe, author of “The Mysteries of Udolpho” and “The Italian.”

6- Supernatural elements also feature prominently in gothic literature. M.R. James' gothic ghost stories, published in the early 20th century, can be seen as a reaction against the rise of technology and science. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” with its ghostly ship, showcases the supernatural in gothic poetry.

7- In the chaste Victorian era, Gothic literature provided an outlet for the exploration of sexuality. This appears in the trope of the doomed romance, as in Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee,” or in the appearance of a demonic lover figure, such as the bloodthirsty vampire in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”

8- There were variants of Gothic genre. They are black novels. It had gained popularity in France. The other variant is shudder novel. It had the same popularity in Germany. Both of the genres were so much gory and gruesome than the regular Gothic novels.

9- Gothic novels have been scaring us for 250 years.

10- John Polidori wrote The Vampyre, the first vampire story to be written in English. The novel introduces the Byronic hero to Gothic. He is the attractive, dangerous outsider, whose struggles with melancholy will feature in numerous classics of the genre. On publication The Vampyre is incorrectly attributed to Byron instead of Polidori, to the annoyance of both writers, but the novel is a success and sparks a craze for similar vampire tales.