The Integration of the Gothic Elements in the Main Stream into Victorian Fiction with Reference to Horace Walpole’s Novel

Abstract

This study aims to analytically investigate the integration of gothic elements in the main stream into Victorian fiction with reference to Horace Walpole’s novel “the castle of Otranto”. In an attempt to achieve the objectives of this study, two important hypotheses are raised – to form a solid background to the survey and analysis of data gathered in this study. The first hypothesis claims thatVictorian fiction is highly influenced with the gothic trend where the elements of the gothic literature became the core of the Victorian fiction, while the second hypothesis claims that the novel “the castle of Otranto” written by Horace Walpole is vivid with elements of gothic literature thus marking it as a gothic fiction itself. In this investigation, the study reckons mainly on literary analysis as the methodology of study, using literary approaches of analysis as tools for this method of investigation. After collection of data from different primary and secondary sources as well, the study reaches some findings the most important among them are; gothic elements are highly integrated into Victorian fiction and consequently the castle of Otranto is found to be a gothic work itself. At the end of this study, light is shed on some recommendations for upcoming researches to focus on for instance, the study recommends other researchers to offer a critical account to the ways in which important developments in literary theory such as historical, ideological, theological and material culture debates have influenced a modern understanding of the Gothic and will be encouraged to mobilize and challenge a number of key critical terms and ideas within their textual analysis.