Gothic and horror novels: Delineating genre and stylistic boundaries

Abstract

Introduction. Although the Gothic novel has been thoroughly examined by linguists and literary scholars, its relationship with horror fiction remains a subject of ongoing debate. Central to this discussion are questions regarding whether these two genres should be classified together or separately and what linguistic criteria might justify such distinctions. This study seeks to clarify the genetic and stylistic connections between Gothic and horror literature, advancing the hypothesis that they share a strong generic relationship.
Materials and Methods. The study employs compositional, stylistic, and comparative genre analysis. Building upon the studies by R. Altman and A. Yu. Ionov, the author identifies key genre markers and applies them to representative works of Gothic and horror fiction, followed by a more detailed stylistic analysis.
Results. The analysis demonstrates that Gothic and horror literature share numerous supratextual, textual, and hypotextual features, including overlapping stylistic devices and compositional features, e.g., thematic motifs, character systems, stylistic and syntactic means, etc. However, notable differences emerge in their treatment of reader expectations, thematic breadth, and stylistic diversity. These findings support the argument that Gothic fiction functions as a subgenre within the broader category of horror literature, with the latter exhibiting a more refined and interdiscursive approach, often incorporating cinematic techniques.
Conclusions. The insights from the reported study hold significant value for academic courses in English stylistics and literary studies focusing on Gothic and horror texts. Future research could further refine genre distinctions through a broader array of textual features and scope (thrillers, supernatural fiction), as well as investigations into individual authorial styles.