For those unfamiliar with Jane Eyre, it is not something that you will necessarily have to read beforehand. (Courtesy of Wednesday Books)Īn Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre, Lauren Blackwood’s Within These Wicked Walls is a treat for readers. Gothic stories are still majorly popular with young adult readers and YA authors are still finding ways to put twists on old Gothic elements.Cover for Within These Wicked Walls. Gothic fiction is often psychological and looks to get inside a characters head. Curses, prophecies, visions and nightmares often drive plot and character motivation. Supernatural beings like monsters, witches, ghosts, vampires and werewolves regularly make appearances, sometimes as a romantic interests. Haunted settings, stormy weather and mysterious atmospheres set the scene. If you’re a fan of young adult fantasy, horror or science fiction, you’ll recognize many of the elements of Gothic fiction. Well known characters like Catherine Morland, Jane Eyre and Dorian Grey are all in their later teenage years during their respective narratives. Gothic fiction has always starred young adult protagonists, even in its early days. Often the human characters turn out to be the biggest monsters. Modern writers continue to be inspired by Gothic stories and it’s easy to spot elements of Gothic fiction in many popular young adult books.Īt its core, Gothic fiction explores the forces of good and evil in a way that reveals just how dark and scary the world can be. Many great authors and writers have written Gothic fiction, including Ann Radcliffe, Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Dickens. The genre is said to have started with Horace Walpole’s novel The Castle of Otranto (1764) and grew to wider popularity after the success of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 1818. You’ve probably heard the term “Gothic” used to described some of your favourite horror books, but what does the term really mean? Gothic literature refers to a genre of fiction exploring horror, death and romance that emerged in the late 18th century.
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