The Gothic Horror Sub Genre's
Gothic fiction is defined by the inclusion of the past coming back to haunt the characters in the story as well as the fear and supernatural events embodying this re-emerging past. Ruined buildings and decay are the staples of this, being physical reminder of this haunting past.
One subgenre is the gothic bluebooks, which fell into two primary categories taking place in either monasteries or convents or gothic castles. They were popular for being able to condense novels worth of content into mere pages, with characters usually either ending up married or dead by the end. The morals were pointed out in the narration and very obvious.
Southern Gothic and Southern Ontario Gothic are versions of this, characterized by their realism and deeply flawed and eccentric characters where were put in derelict settings and grotesque and horrifying situations, all of which were relating to the poverty, alienation, crime, and violence of the time.
Southern Ontario Gothic analyses social conditions such as race, gender, religion and politics, but through the lense of small-town Protestant morality stereotypical of the region, and often has underlying themes of moral hypocrisy. Actions and people that act against humanity, logic, and morality all are portrayed unfavourably. The Gothic novel has traditionally examined the role of evil in the human soul, and has incorporated dark or horrific imagery to create the desired setting.
Suburban Gothic dramatizes anxieties arising from the mass urbanisation of the United States and usually features suburban settings, preoccupations and protagonists. This genre tends to focus on threats to the family or neighbourhood and focuses inwards rather than on an external threat, mainly on teenagers and children.
Similarly, Urban Gothic is a subgenre that explores a post-industrial society. It was pioneered in the mid-19th century in Britain, Ireland and the United States.
While the majority of the Gothic Genre draws from traditional European literature and European architecture like castles and churches, Tasmanian Gothic, whilst still dealing with the themes of horror, mystery and the uncanny, centres on the natural landscape of Tasmania and its colonial architecture and history.
This is the genre most associated with ghosts. Linked to the ghost is the idea of a "haunting", where a supernatural entity is tied to a place, object or person.
