The Gothic Elements in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"

Abstract

In literary and cultural studies, the gothic is a genre or mode whose
dark imagery often includes medieval ruins, supernatural occurrences, and
demonic protagonists. To show Poe's use of the gothic elements in his poem
"The Raven" is the aim of the present study. The study falls into five
sections.
The first section forms the introduction that deals with the definition
of the gothic term and alludes to its origin. While the second section treats
the literary use of the gothic style which came into being in (1764) when
Horace Walpole published his novel The Castle of Otranto which became a
sample of the gothic novel that was followed later by other novelists. The
third section tackles Poe's distinguished gothic style, which addresses man
psychologically. His imaginative, mysterious mad heroes and his nightmare
world are also discussed. The fourth section offers a short definition of Poe's
"The Raven" and gives a general idea about the poem. The core of the study
is represented by the last section, which displays the gothic elements in "The
Raven".