The 18th-century Gothic horror novel

The 18th-century Gothic horror novel responds, through its own aesthetics and narratives, to the concerns of its historical moment. This period in Western history is known as the Enlightenment, a cultural and intellectual movement characterized by the exaltation of reason as a tool to understand the world and improve society. Alongside these principles, an optimistic vision of human progress emerged, driven by the sciences, aiming to leave behind the dark past of the Middle Ages.

The enlightened individual mocked a tragic conception of life, considering themselves an autonomous and rational being, capable of controlling their destiny. However, Gothic novelists offered an alternative perspective on the world. They acknowledged that some of the changes brought about by the Enlightenment were positive but maintained a critical spirit. The apparent barbarism left behind in the Middle Ages persisted, repressed in the subconscious of citizens. The exaltation of reason was more of a hope than a reality.

Gothic literature focused on the most extreme human emotions: fear, anguish, desire, and remorse. This interest in the darker aspects of the human mind anticipates the theories of the subconscious that would arise in Romanticism and psychoanalysis. It sought to expose the false façade of security constructed by the Enlightenment and to warn of potential future problems. Humanity is alone in the world and must distrust it.

In this context, the motivations guiding Gothic authors led to the creation of characters that represented the sublimated abject. Terror has always been a mechanism to represent anxieties and fears, to give shape to "the other."