Considered a pre-gothic work and one of the major works of ‘Graveyard Poetry’ 

‘The main character of Smollett’s book is a villainous dandy who cheats, swindles and philanders his way across Europe and England with little concern for the law or the welfare of others, all traits that would become trademarks of the Gothic Villain. The novel’s elements of terror and the supernatural also anticipate the themes of the Gothic novel.’

‘Edmund Burke connected the sublime with experiences of awe, terror, and danger. Burke saw nature as the most sublime object, capable of generating the strongest sensations in its beholders.’

From TheGothicLibrary.com

“Speaking broadly, the sublime is a concept from the branch of philosophy known as aesthetics, which deals with the nature of beauty and taste…The idea of the sublime came to prominence in Great Britain in the 18th century, as young British writers and philosophers went on their Grand Tour of continental Europe and came back particularly awed by the majestic mountains of the Swiss alps, and needed a term to describe that experience.

One philosopher whose name is most associated with the sublime is Edmund Burke. He laid out his theories on the term in a 1757 treatise titled ‘A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful’. In this treatise, Burke distinguishes between the beautiful and the sublime as separate categories, viewing the sublime as superior and more powerful. Whereas beauty simply comes from objects that are well-formed and aesthetically pleasing, the sublime is experienced when overwhelming pain and terror lead to a sort of delight. Burke believed that terror was the key to the sublime, since “it is productive of the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling.” He goes on to lay out several other characteristics such as obscurity, power, vastness, and infinity which may contribute t a sense of the sublime. Other philosophers, such as Immanuel Kant, disagreed with the way Burke separated out the beautiful and the sublime, but one core concept held true: the sublime is a mingled feeling of awe and terror that can often be inspired by the grandeur of nature.”

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‘Written by a Dublin-born clergyman Thomas Leland, Longsword is a definitive precursor to the Gothic novel. It features an evil monk and a case of stress-induced madness.’

Moving from Pre-Gothic to Early Gothic ‘the genre properly begins with the publication of Walpole’s Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto though it was not an immediate craze. The popularity of sentimentalism and continued interest in medievalism would help the genre flourish.’

‘Walpole wrote his novel after he dreamed of a giant hand in armour “on the uppermost banister of a great staircase” in “an ancient castle”. He initially passed off his novel as a found manuscript but later released himself as the author when it was favourably received. Walpole’s novel created the stock elements of the genre: family secrets, haunted castles, and the intrusion of the supernatural.’

‘Walpole’s theatrical follow up to Otranto’ Mysterious Mother ‘A tragedy in blank verse, the play deals with the remorse of the titular mother, the Countess of Narbonne, for committing incest with her son.’ 

’Published during the first wave of Gothic Literature, this essay argues that observing the pain of others creates moral stimulation that brings pleasure as well as social betterment. This argument was based on period sentimentalism which valued producing the appropriate emotional reaction to the plight of others in order to create social change.’

‘Clara Reeve wrote her novel as a response to Walpole’s Otranto and declared in her preface that Gothic tales should be kept within the bounds of reality, contrasting it unfavourably with Otranto. As Walpole had done before her, Reeve initially presented the story as an old manuscript she discovered and transcribed.’

‘The Recess is set in Elizabethan times and revolves around two fictional daughters of Mary, Queen of Scots by a secret marriage. One of the earliest Gothic novels, it pioneered the genre of historical fiction and daringly portrays women involved in political intrigues, overseas journeys, and warfare.’

‘Reeve’s innovative history of the prose genre compares the romance and the novel. According to Reeve the romance is a heroic fable featuring fabulous persons, while the novel is a picture of real life in everyday language.’

‘Influenced by Orientalism, Beckford’s Gothic novel Vathek tells the story of Caliph Vathek, a cruel Arabian ruler who sets out to find the city of Istakhar and its supernatural horrors.’

Moving from Early Gothic to High Gothic. ‘The Gothic becomes wildly popular with Ann Radcliffe and other women writers published by Minerva Press in the 1800’s, but would experience a sharp decline in popularity in the 1810’s.

Radcliffe’s Gothic novel The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne ‘combines Scottish medievalism with eighteenth-century sentimentalism in a story of ancient grudges between the two families that inhabit the titular castles. Though Athlin and Dunbayne is much shorter than Udolpho it would contain many of the themes that would define Radcliffe’s work.’

‘Radcliffe’s second published work, A Sicilian Romance contains a mix of poetic language and psychological terror that would make her popular with the Romantics.

Radcliffe was published by Minerva Press ‘Established by William Lane, Minerva Press was a publishing house that created a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic iction in the late 18th and early 19th century. They succeeded by encouraging their female readers to become authors in their own right.’