A classic gothic novel emphasises fear and terror. ... The connections, and relevance it has to today's modern society and the lessons that can be learned from it, is what classifies it as being classic. ... The strongest feature, which identifies Shelley's Frankenstein as a classic gothic novel, is the creation of the creature itself. However, the creation of the creature is not truly supernatural, as the reader is informed of his origin, but in that the creation is still something out of the ordinary, unnatural and reflects Gothic ideas and a vision of horror. ... For the mod...

• Word Count: 2218
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Poe successfully developed a mysterious atmosphere by using such literary crafts as diction, foreshadowing and so forth, and evoked readers' terror by providing few details over the narration. ... In classic gothic fiction, another essential characteristic is doppelganger, a ghostly counterpart of a character, and Poe incorporated it massively in "The Fall of the House of Usher." ... However, these terrifying events aren't the only factors giving rise to readers' anxiety; what prickles our nerves is the foreshadowing. ... It is the vagueness, the ambiguity that Poe applied clima...

• Word Count: 1692
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Present tense speech allows the reader to be involved in the happenings of the city in real-time, emphasising the opinion of the narrator. ... Being the opening paragraphs giving too much away at once would be counter-productive and so the fog acts as a barrier, as it does in the narrative itself, to the reader's vision, there is something to be seen, but not yet, and this links to the characters further on in the novel. ... Bleak House can be placed under the title of "urban gothic", and this opening passage has all the qualities of the classic Gothic forms, only updated for th...

• Word Count: 1875
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This way of writing creates a sense of intimacy between the writer and the reader, as in many cases, the texts used to show the story are private documents, such as diaries and telegrams, and makes it seems more believable. ... This character draws the reader in, wanting to find out more of what he has to say, which again enhances the success of the novel. ... Leaving the reader feeling satisfied at the end of the novel, and so will recommend the novel to their friends, increasing the story's popularity even more. The Gothic elements of Dracula add to the success of the novel, even thoug...

• Word Count: 798
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate