GOTHIC ELEMENTS IN MODERN HORROR FICTION: A GENRE STUDY

Abstract

This study examines how traditional Gothic motifs experienced adaptation through contemporary horror fiction, tracing their evolution and continued contemporary significance in terms of engaging 20th-century cultural and psychological concerns and ultimately their transformation for use in addressing the anxieties of its twenty-first-century readers. The research draws on a qualitative textual analysis of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Stephen King’s The Shining, and Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties to examine the relationship between classic Gothic conventions and contemporary horror plotlines. The findings highlight how Gothic tropes are flexible enough to encompass issues such as mental health, gender dynamics, and societal alienation within society. The study analyses modern anxieties by transforming key themes like isolation, decay, and the uncanny. The study also explores the parallels between classical and contemporary Gothic, emphasising the genre’s ability to maintain literary continuity and cultural critique. This research demonstrates the Gothic’s versatility as both a literary tradition and a framework for addressing complex societal questions by bridging historical and modern contexts. All of these statements add more knowledge about the future of Gothic literature and its evolution in the context of the horror genre.