Including Gothic Elements In Your Fiction
Even If You’re Completely in the Dark About How or Why You Should
If you’re writing a romance, suspense, or thriller novel and want to include Gothic elements but haven’t the slightest idea how to, here’s how I did it.
The most illuminating insights about our work often come from others. Recently, a Publisher's Weekly review of my novel Chloe concluded: "Briscoe folds some perceptive class critiques into her intoxicating blend of romance and suspense. This offers plenty of gothic pleasures."
Whoa! Gothic pleasures? I stared at those words. Yes, the phrasing was lovely, but more than that, I hadn't set out to write anything Gothic. Yes, Chloe is a contemporary reimagining of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which has many Gothic elements. However, I had focused on creating psychological suspense around complicated relationships and did not consciously channel anything "Gothic."
This got me wondering about Gothic elements, their popularity in general, and their role in black literature. So I did some digging.
Many are aware that early Gothic literature featured crumbling castles, supernatural occurrences, damsel-in-distress heroines, and brooding villains. But Gothic fiction has evolved. Two well-known 19th-century examples are Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Both stories retained Gothic elements but were among the first to explore character psychology and social critiques in romance and complex relationships.
In the 20th century, writers like Daphne du Maurier and Shirley Jackson (The Lottery) transformed the genre further, often excluding supernatural elements altogether while keeping psychological suspense and dark settings. Du Maurier's Rebecca—my inspiration for Chloe—is a perfect example. There are no ghosts at Manderley, yet the deceased wife's presence is haunting. The same is true for the deceased wife in Chloe, once Angel reaches Riverwild Estate.
Today, Gothic elements are found not just in literature but also in film, television, and fashion. It's become a cultural shorthand for a dark mood, atmosphere, and theme.
How to Include Gothic Elements and Why You Should Consider It
Gothicism in literature has a long history and appeal, from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde to Toni Morrison’s Beloved. So why do readers keep returning to these stories, even though they can be disturbing?
The thrill of suspense creates an emotional response that many find engaging. Experiencing fear in a controlled, fictional environment can be satisfying. There’s also satisfaction when secrets are revealed and mysteries are solved. We get to process complex emotions like grief, fear, or desire through the characters’ experiences, yet remain at a safe distance in our own lives.
Looking back at Chloe through this new lens, I now see several Gothic elements you could attempt in your own fiction writing.
Atmospheric settings: Gothic fiction loves grand, isolated places that become characters in their own right. In Chloe, I created two settings: a luxurious estate in Potomac, Maryland, and the summer enclave of Martha's Vineyard. Both locations have a sense of beauty tinged with isolation—places with their own rules and lifestyles. When I wrote about the Potomac estate transforming from picturesque to gloomy during rainstorms, I unknowingly tapped into a Gothic tradition of settings reflecting psychological states.
Psychological tension and suspense: Rather than rely on violence or explicit threats, Gothic fiction builds dread through psychological tension. Chloe centers on the psychological dynamics between characters and the sense of being watched, judged, and compared to an absent figure from the past—all classic Gothic devices.
The weight of the past on the present: Gothic fiction is obsessed with how the past haunts the present. This is a central theme in Chloe, in which Everett’s previous marriage casts a shadow over his current relationship with Angel (the protagonist).
Class dynamics and social critique: Gothic fiction often includes strict social divisions. The Publisher's Weekly review noted the "perceptive class critiques" in Chloe—something I intentionally included as social class divisions are prevelant in the black community.
Blurring romance and fear: Gothic fiction excels at mixing desire and dread. Heroines are often attracted to and frightened by mysterious men. I've updated this dynamic for contemporary sensibilities, but that blend of romance tinged with suspicion and uncertainty runs through Chloe.
Gothic Fiction in Black Literature
The Gothic tradition in black literature features haunting as something much more concrete than the supernatural. The legacies of slavery, discrimination, and violence create a reality where the past literally haunts the present—no ghosts are required. In black Gothic literature, hauntings often represent historical injustices that remain unaddressed. Settings like plantations, historically segregated neighborhoods, and places where violence occurred—carry additional significance as hauntings.
Toni Morrison's Beloved is a powerful example. The novel's ghost represents not just an individual tragedy but an entire history of brutality and loss across generations of slavery. When Morrison writes about a house haunted by a baby's ghost, she's using Gothic conventions to explore historical trauma in an artistically stunning and emotionally draining way. Other contemporary authors also use Gothic elements to explore the black experience. Tananarive Due and Jesmyn Ward include horror elements in their explorations of racism and injustice.
Reflecting on these works has opened my eyes to how Gothic elements can be powerfully employed to tell stories about identity, belonging, and injustice. Realizing that my novel offers "Gothic pleasures" has been an unexpected bonus—a new lens to understand my creative instincts. It's made me realize how influenced we are by the books we read and how literary traditions shape our writing, consciously or not.
Will I lean more explicitly into Gothic elements in future work? Maybe. Something is appealing about exploring a tradition I seem to have unconsciously absorbed. But what's most valuable is this reminder that genres aren't rigid or exclusive, but rather, fluid traditions that all writers can use to bring their unique perspectives.
Sources for exploring Gothicism in literature.
JSTOR Daily, "Why We Love to Be Scared," by Erin Blakemore — An exploration of why we're drawn to Gothic and horror elements.
The British Library— Their digital archives include manuscripts, illustrations, and essays on Gothic literature from its origins to contemporary works.
Literary Hub — An overview of Gothic fiction
Graveyard Shift Sisters — A website dedicated to Black women in horror, featuring analyses of Gothic elements in works by Black creators.
The Gothic Literary Library’s “African-American Writers of Gothic Literature”
I'm curious—
As a reader, are you drawn to Gothic elements in contemporary fiction? What "Gothic pleasures" keep you turning pages late into the night?
As a writer, are you tempted to explore using them?
You might also be interested in “Using Suspense To Elevate Tension in Fiction.”