The popularity of Gothic mystery novels precedes that of spy thrillers and romance novels. Classics, such as novels written by Dauphne du Maurier, Jane Austen, or Emily Bronte, best classify as Gothic fiction. They often feature stories of love and betrayal as well as murder and the supernatural. Sometimes, a pair of unlikely characters forms a friendship or falls in love with each other. All in all, the same elements found in every tale help classify them within the same genre.
In the beginning, the major character had no choice, but to live in a castle or manor that looks haunted. A grim foreboding of what's to come -- gloomy dark skies, a torrential rain or an unnatural mist -- usually welcomes the character's arrival. It seems the sun rarely comes out in that place. All through the novel, that same gloomy atmosphere remains a fixture in every scene and contributes to the rising air of mystery wrapped around the house, the people in town, or the protagonist.
Dialogue between characters frequently explodes with drama and hidden meanings. The personas themselves show overwrought emotion tinted with terror at something undefined. Often, the main character would be placed in a distressing situation, where he or she loses a sense of time or direction. Eventually, that character loses his or her way around the huge manor or becomes trapped in a chase through the forest.
Besides the darkness and drama, the other major feature of a Gothic mystery is the supernatural. A being with an ominous presence, a ghost, or the Devil himself commonly appears in Gothic tales. Sometimes, one of the main characters embodies this demonic persona, which seems threatening to the protagonist. This character may either be male or female, which turns into a witch or a dark priestess who sacrifices young virgins for the Dark Lord.
However, the main character is often saved by a vision or an omen. Sometimes, it may be as ordinary as a stranger extending help in a surprising twist in the story. Even when a male character - a king, the manor's lord, or the patriarch of the clan - oppresses a female character, the main character usually finds hope in her situation. A forced marriage to a stranger or a heinous act, such as murder, becomes a saving grace. The villainous stranger whom she married turns out to be a loving prince or the death of a character starts a series of events that will lead to an inevitable conclusion.
All those events won't be explained easily, but becomes easy to comprehend once the story reaches its climax. By this time, the mystery would have been solved, or the prophecy has been proven true or untrue. If it involves a legend, then most likely, that legend is related to the protagonist as well as any prophecy that has been foretold. This is how any Gothic mystery ends.
In the beginning, the major character had no choice, but to live in a castle or manor that looks haunted. A grim foreboding of what's to come -- gloomy dark skies, a torrential rain or an unnatural mist -- usually welcomes the character's arrival. It seems the sun rarely comes out in that place. All through the novel, that same gloomy atmosphere remains a fixture in every scene and contributes to the rising air of mystery wrapped around the house, the people in town, or the protagonist.
Dialogue between characters frequently explodes with drama and hidden meanings. The personas themselves show overwrought emotion tinted with terror at something undefined. Often, the main character would be placed in a distressing situation, where he or she loses a sense of time or direction. Eventually, that character loses his or her way around the huge manor or becomes trapped in a chase through the forest.
Besides the darkness and drama, the other major feature of a Gothic mystery is the supernatural. A being with an ominous presence, a ghost, or the Devil himself commonly appears in Gothic tales. Sometimes, one of the main characters embodies this demonic persona, which seems threatening to the protagonist. This character may either be male or female, which turns into a witch or a dark priestess who sacrifices young virgins for the Dark Lord.
However, the main character is often saved by a vision or an omen. Sometimes, it may be as ordinary as a stranger extending help in a surprising twist in the story. Even when a male character - a king, the manor's lord, or the patriarch of the clan - oppresses a female character, the main character usually finds hope in her situation. A forced marriage to a stranger or a heinous act, such as murder, becomes a saving grace. The villainous stranger whom she married turns out to be a loving prince or the death of a character starts a series of events that will lead to an inevitable conclusion.
All those events won't be explained easily, but becomes easy to comprehend once the story reaches its climax. By this time, the mystery would have been solved, or the prophecy has been proven true or untrue. If it involves a legend, then most likely, that legend is related to the protagonist as well as any prophecy that has been foretold. This is how any Gothic mystery ends.
