![]() Often attributed to the female Gothic, the 'explained supernatural' is exemplified in Ann Radcliffe's Romance in the Forest, in which scary things happen, but when explained, are less horrific than they originally seemed. Some Gothic novels, however, use the 'explained supernatural,' in which case the scary supernatural effects of the story are later explained and have perfectly scientific and rational causes. Her presence is accepted, and never explained using any other type of reasoning. She is as real as anyone else in the novel, and she is a ghost. She does not prove to be some servant in a disguise, or a trick of the light or a creaky floorboard. One example of this would be the presence of the Bleeding Nun in The Monk. On the one hand, some novels rely upon the 'accepted supernatural,' in which case the supernatural is simply assumed to be part of reality, and no other explanation is given. ![]() It is interesting to consider the two different approaches to the supernatural adopted by Gothic writers. Even during the height of their popularity, Gothic writers did not hold a monopoly on the supernatural it can also be found in Romantic poetry of Samuel Coleridge and Sir Walter Scott. Gothic writers need only look back to the examples of Shakespeare's ghosts, fairies, and sorcerers to see evidence of the supernatural in English literature and lore. This is not a Gothic invention literature has a long history of exploration of the supernatural. ![]() ![]() Whether they invoke the supernatural directly or rely upon the imagination of the reader to provide it, Gothic writers use the supernatural to build suspense, and create special effects for the reader. The supernatural is a key defining element in the Gothic. ![]()
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