Gothic fiction is characterized by an atmosphere of mystery, fear, and haunting. It got its name from the use of the word "gothic" to describe things as medieval and barbaric, related to the Gothic architecture style that was popular in Europe in the Middle Ages. Gothic fiction is sometimes considered a sub-genre of horror, though it can also cross into romance and other genres. Stories in this genre tend to focus on the past and its impact on the present, whether through supernatural or emotional haunting. Setting is an important aspect of gothic fiction. Novels and stories will often be set in places like castles, mansions, and ruins. The setting can often seem like its own character that influences the story and other characters.
One of the first works of gothic fiction was The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1764. The genre saw a lot of activity in the late 1700s and early 1800s, with works by Ann Radcliffe popularizing the genre, and then again in the late Victorian period with works like The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) by Oscar Wilde and Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker. Though the genre started out in England and Ireland, it made its way over to the United States where it was popularized by writers like Edgar Allan Poe. Writers in the American South also pioneered a subgenre of gothic fiction called Southern Gothic.
Gothic Romance
Gothic romances typically have female protagonists who are faced with supernatural or other horrors while trying to be with the person they love. They often explore themes of independence and societal pressure as a form of isolation, along with the typical isolationist settings.
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Southern Gothic
A specifically American subgenre, Southern Gothic works are influenced by gothic themes and set in the American South. As gothic fiction traditionally addresses the intrusion of the past on the present, Southern Gothic focuses on the lasting social traumas of racism, poverty, and gender dynamics in the south. It first appeared during the antebellum period in the 19th century.
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Contemporary Gothic
Many authors today are still writing in the gothic tradition. Contemporary authors use the themes of haunting, the disruption of the past, and doomed romance within all sorts of modern day settings and often incorporate more diverse cultures and viewpoints compared to the Eurocentric roots of the genre.
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Looking for your next gothic or horror read? The awards and reading lists below can be a good place to start for recommendations.
Gothic stories are also popular in film and television. If you like the atmospheric settings and suspenseful plots, give these a try for your next binge watch!
Films
Television
Sources
Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Gothic novel. Britannica Library. Retrieved October 24, 2025, from https://libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2FGothic-novel%2F37491&ebboatid=301196
Gothic fiction. (2009) In Birch, D. (Ed.), The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 24 Oct. 2025, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192806871.001.0001/acref-9780192806871-e-3192
Science fiction, or sci-fi, is a genre that explores the impact of real or imagined science on society and the people within it. It is rooted in an exploration of what is or could be possible with scientific progress and the impact it would have on society. The science included may be possible or far-fetched - some authors invent completely new worlds and technologies, while others ground their stories in the world of their time.
Sci-fi and fantasy tend to be grouped together, but they are distinct genres. While fantasy explores the impossible, magical, and imagined, science fiction looks at what could happen if scientific discovery advanced in a certain way. In science fiction, there is no magic - deviations from reality are explained by science within the context of the story (whether it is true to our world or not). Both genres are considered speculative fiction, a term that encompasses literary genres that depart from reality in some way.
Alternate Societies/Histories
What would life look like if society developed in a different direction? If a certain scientific discovery was made earlier, later, or not at all? What if something in history didn't happen the way it did in reality? This theme explores how society may be different in those cases.
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Dystopia
Dystopian literature portrays societies that are dehumanized, totalitarian, and often fraught. Post-apocalyptic literature may also fall in this category, though it does not always portray dystopia.
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Time Travel
What's more science fiction than time travel? This is a staple of the genre. Time travel stories often explore different what ifs. What if you could change a moment in your personal history? What if you could see the future and use the knowledge to improve your present? And, the ever-present question: What if time traveling actually messes up the existing flow of time?
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Space Travel and Aliens
Similarly to time travel, what exists in outer space is another cornerstone of the genre. It's hard to think about science fiction without picturing little green aliens zooming around in rocket ships. There are many takes on the idea of space travel and other types of beings out there, and authors often use these stories and other worlds to explore parallels to humanity and social issues.
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Climate Fiction
Climate fiction explores the impact climate change could have on society and may also include elements of dystopian, utopian, or apocalypse fiction. It is a way to engage with ideas about threats to our climate and ways society may develop to change course, adapt, or react to them.
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Looking for your next science fiction read? The awards and reading lists below can be a good place to start for recommendations.