Gothic literature is a literature that should not be forgotten, in a hurray. Started by Horace Walpole in 1764 the fiction has lasted through the centuries and is still alive to this day. With its unique gothic romance element that gives the effect of very pleasing terror on the reader. The fiction has the ability to include both a physical terror and that if a psychological one. With all these elements, gothic literature is a very skilful genre to write and so must have skilful authors. The gothic authors we will be looking at have done a brilliant job at writing the genre, that their stories last even in today’s modern world.

The authors we will be talking about are:

• Charles John Huffam Dickens,
• Edgar Allan Poe,
• Herbert George Wells,
• William Wymark Jacobs.

Charles John Huffam Dickens

Charles Dickens (“Boz“) was born on the 7thof February 1812 and was a well respected English novelist. He is very popular worldwide for his rich storytelling and characters, and is thought of today as one of the English language’s greatest writers. He wrote many novels including the Gothic Horror – “The Signalman”.

The Signalman is one of Dickens best Gothic fiction stories, but what provoked him to write it? His past experiences might have provoked him the write the novel. In “The Signalman” there are many tragic events on part of a railway. How does this relate to Dickens? Well, in 1865 Charles was involved in a rail crash where the first seven of the eight carriages flew off a bridge in repair. In the last remaining carriage was Dickens, unharmed. This event shook Dickens up and his work shrank, and on 9 June 1870 he died by a stroke.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was born on the 19thof January 1809. He worked as many things including, story writer, poet, essayist, playwright and critic.

He wrote the famous short story, “The Cask of Amontillado”. The story is about someone with a grudge, kills that who is abusing them. This is very similar to Poe’s real life as many people, including Rufus Wilmot Griswold, held grudges against the man.

Edgar died on October the 7th1849, age 40, due to alcohol, drugs, cholera and rabies.

Herbert George Wells

Herbert G Wells was born on the 21stof September 1866, and was an English writer known well for his science fiction novels, and is referred, by some, as “The Father of Science Fiction“. Part from this, he also wrote work of many different genres, including gothic horror.

Why would a writer who wrote sci-fi novels, suddenly choose to write a story on ghost and ghouls? Wells wrote the story, “The Red Room” which is about a room with something unknown in. He may have wrote this because of his fascination of the unknown, such as space is.

He died on the 13thof August 1946.

William Wymark Jacobs

Our last author we will be looking at, W.W.Jacobs was born on the 8thof September 1863, and like most gothic authors was English.

His best gothic writing was “The Monkey’s Paw” published in 1901. The story is about human morals and the consequence of what we do. This has influenced many modern issues today, such as Stephen King’s novels, tv shows, and even games.

He died on the 1stof September 1943.

Well that’s all, hope you have learnt a lot. Check out my other articles if you take a fancy, and don’t mind if you comment.