Femininity in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

7 CHAPTER 1 THE ENGLISH GOTHIC NOVEL This chapter focuses on the Gothic mode, in particular its origins and meanings and how it spread in various fields, above all that of literature. Moreover, I focus on how, the Gothic, has evolved over the course of centuries till the present day. The publication of Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole 4 in 1764 marked its beginning; this genre is distinguished by its own features: it has a dark and grotesque atmosphere and outlandish characters. Obviously, during centuries it branched out in other different subgenres, among them, for instance, the ‘Female Gothic’, developed thanks to the publication of The Romance in the Forest written by Ann Radcliffe 5 - who is considered the mother of 'Female Gothic'- in 1791. I should be noted that, on one hand, Ann Radcliffe kept in her works some features belonging to Walpole such as the settings and the supernatural phenomena. On the other hand, she introduced a new element: in her works the main characters are all women, fighting to overcome obstacles and dangers and acquire their place in the world. If Radcliffe is considered the mother of “Female Gothic”, Lewis is set the pattern of the “masculine” form, which, as Alison Milbank observes, features “plots of transgression of social taboos by an excessive male will” 6 . However, in the course of time the Gothic atmospheres affected writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe 7 who found in this genre a place to 4 Horatio Walpole (September 24, 1717- March 2, 1797) better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer. He revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors. He wrote Castle of Otranto, which is considered the first Gothic novel. 5 Ann Radcliffe (July 9, 1764-February 7, 1823) was an English author and pioneer of Gothic novels. She brought new elements in Gothic genre, indeed, she became the founder of the Female Gothic. 6 Alison Milbank, Female Gothic, in Romanticism: An Oxford Guide, ed. Nicholas Roe. (Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 2005),495. 7 Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809-October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is known for his poetry and his short macabre short stories; He is also considered a central figure of Romanticism in the United States.