Supernatural appearances and effects, such as ghosts and monsters, are among everyone's deepest fears, whether they like to admit it or not. Elements of Gothic literature tap into our need for agony between reality and fantasy. I even think it liberates and reflects our need to search for the identity of our inner Goth. Nowadays, goth is seen as a way people dress and being weird is almost a brain disease. Goths weren't always seen this way, it was a way that allowed people to express their true beliefs, desires and most importantly their inner fears. The gothic genre is much more than just a collection of horror stories, although they tend to emphasize mystery and fear. The term Gothic was originally used to describe both art and architecture, and then it spread to the world of literature and writings. They all had extreme emotion and dark, depressing themes and ideas. Although many people in our time may never fully appreciate what the Gothic era gave us, nor understand the dark themes it presents, I will. The Gothic Era, much like the many horror films and books that I love so much, Gothics have the power to completely draw a person like me into the story they are trying to present to us as a reader. Gothic literature helps us exercise our minds. making us dig deep and determine our own inner truths and fears. With this idea, we must learn to broaden our perspectives and think critically about the work, rather than basing our judgments on what we simply read. The use of extreme and dramatic emotions in gothic writings really makes us, as a reader, think about how reading affects us inside...... middle of paper ..... .King. Even as the years continue to progress and the horror genre unfortunately continues to progress and move away from the great gothics that came before it, no matter what, there will always be this exponential influence of the gothics and a standard to which he will always be held. Gothic literature has had many different effects on people, writers and even how it is perceived over the years. The great elements of a gothic story will never change or abandon, they will forever be that supernatural effect or idea, the different reverences towards death and decay throughout it, and the feeling of suspense underneath. underlying cast the entire literary work and this dark tone as a whole. to history. Over time, we, as a country and a race, developed an even greater understanding of what Gothic literature was and why it was deemed so important throughout literary history..