With Halloween coming up soon, thought it would be as good a time as any to look at some of my favorite modern Gothic fiction. To me, Gothic in large part refers to the atmosphere of a book - it's often set at some kind of crumbling mansion, there's generally a hint of the supernatural (anything from implied but not real to actual creepy haunting), and there's often some kind of mystery involving a dead person in the present or past too.
I actually didn't know what the official definition of the genre was so I looked it up - here's what Goodreads had to say: "Making its debut in the late 18th century, Gothic fiction was a branch of the larger Romantic movement that sought to stimulate strong emotions in the reader - fear and apprehension in this case. Gothic fiction places heavy emphasis on atmosphere, using setting and diction to build suspense and a sense of unease in the reader. Common subject matter includes the supernatural, family curses, mystery, and madness."
