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Emily Carlson
Gothic Literature
Clive Bloom
7 December 2014

Wizard Castles, Bloody Gameshows, and Vampire Love:

The Gothic Influence on Young Adult Blockbusters

Whereas the concept of Gothic Literature has been around for 250 years, the beginnings
of young adult fiction as a genre can be traced back only to the early 1940s.1 Young adult
itself is a vague term, covering everything from mystery to romance to memoir. In the past
twenty years though, the most popular books of this genre have begun to show a trend towards
one tradition in particular: the Gothic. Blockbuster series like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games,
and Twilight all contain different elements of classical Gothic Literature, and clearly borrow
some concepts from a number of Gothic novels. Each of these series have taken one or more
element of the Gothic and melded it to fit their own story. Whether it be setting, violence and
psychological warfare, or the sexualization of monsters, these novels have borrowed aspects of
Gothic in order to create new strains of young adult fiction.
Arguably one of the most successful book series in history, for both adults and children,
J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter contains numerous examples of the Gothic, especially in terms of
setting. The magical school of Hogwarts itself is a castle, reminiscent of the oldest Gothic novel,
Strickland, Ashley. "A Brief History of Young Adult Literature." CNN. Cable News Network,
17 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.
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The Castle of Otranto. Similarly, Rowlings castle also contains ghosts, moving paintings, secret
passageways, and an assortment of monsters. Many parts of Hogwarts are unknown even to
those who have lived within it for years: the Chamber of Secrets, the Room of Requirement, the
moving staircases. In and around the castle are countless monsters, creatures, and supernatural
beings that have made appearances in different Gothic books throughout history. Lupin is a
werewolf, Hagrid is half-giant. Trolls, dragons, ghouls, and unicorns all make appearances on or
around the school grounds. Of course, Rowling has also adapted some classically Gothic
elements to fit her own story and world. Instead of walking around the castle with torches, as
would be typical in many Gothic stories, students use the Lumos spell to light up the ends of their
wands in order to sneak around at night. Instead of hearing voices at night, Harry hears whispers
of parseltongue--the serpent language--whenever a snake is nearby.
Also a classic element of the Gothic the Rowling utilizes as a centerpiece of her novels is
the concept of prophecies and premonitions. Harry Potter is the boy who lived, and thus is
destined to defeat Voldemort. In The Order of the Phoenix, the entire prophecy is revealed
through a Seer: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those
who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... (Rowing, 176). The combination
of both setting and foreboding (as supplied by prophecies) creates a distinctly Gothic atmosphere
for the series as a whole. While Rowling created and popularized new concepts for young adult
literature--such as the idea of a magical school, wizards and witches--she also drew on these
Gothic influences to establish a tone for her novels.
At first glance, The Hunger Games seems the least Gothic of most recent book and movie
sensations in the young adult genre. There are no castles, creaking stairs, or paranormal

monsters in the futuristic country of Panem. In fact, there is little in the book aside from war,
violence, and one very typical young adult love triangle. The protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, is a
teenage girl with no supernatural powers, her male counterpart, Peeta, similar. However, there
are many Gothic elements within the story, especially as the trilogy progresses. First and
foremost, the amount of violence and detailed gore within this novel--for children nonetheless--is
reflective of the gore and violence in many Gothic novels, dating back to The Castle of Otranto.
Everywhere in the book is death, bloody violence, and weaponry.
The overall tone and feel of the series is also very reflective of Gothic Literature. If the
series were to be described in one word, suspenseful most definitely fits. The majority of the
first novel involves Katniss alone in the arena, running through vegetation while other children
are hunting her down. Every sound, rustle, and movement are steeped in suspense. Katnisss
hometown, District 12, is described as having black cinder streets, with a high chain-link
fence topped with barbed-wire loops surrounding it (Collins, 1). Even before going into the
actual Hunger Games, Collins introduces feelings of suspense and terror simply through the use
of an oppressive, militaristic government.
A key theme of the Gothic that exists throughout the trilogy is the concept of identity and
monstrosity. The Hunger Games has both psychological and literal monsters. First the mutts,
wolf-like creatures that are a hybrid of wolves and body parts of children killed during the
Hunger Games. Then follow tracker jackers, genetically altered poisonous wasps, monkey
mutts, clawed monkeys with unnatural screams, and jabberjays, specially bred birds that
mimic voices, of those dead and alive. Reminiscent of books like Mary Shelleys Frankenstein
which utilize the concept of the mad scientist, these monsters are all created by government-

hired scientists. Aside from these literal monsters, there is also a reoccurring theme throughout
the books of people becoming monsters. Before the first Hunger Games begins, Peeta tells
Katniss, I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm
not (Collins, 71). By being forced to murder other children to survive, characters are constantly
concerned with becoming monsters whose only focus is killing others and surviving. Indeed,
by the last novel many of the characters have become just that. Peeta himself is kidnapped and
tortured until he returns deranged and tries to murder Katniss (Collins, 179). Previous victors
of past Hunger Games all possess some monster-like, psychologically deranged qualities.
Haymitch is constantly in a state of drunkenness, Wiress mutters things to herself and can never
complete sentences, Annie is driven insane when she witnesses her friend being beheaded, Mags
cannot speak loudly due to a stroke she suffered.
Alongside the theme of monstrosity is that of reality. The real versus the not-real
becomes a central part of the last novel especially, after Peeta is tortured and can no longer
separate what has happened in the story from what he was told by his captors. The problem is, I
cant tell whats real anymore, and whats made up, he says (Collins, 270). From this point on
begins a game in which Katniss and Peeta recount things from previous novels, confirming
whether they are real or not real:
"You said that same thing to me in the first Hunger Games. Real or not real?"
"Real," he says. "And you risked your life getting the medicine that saved me?"
"Real." I shrug. (Collins, 289)
Both the concept of mental monstrosity and the inability to decipher reality from what is in ones
head are large components of Gothic Literature, which Collins uses in her own novels. Though

The Hunger Games has less of a Gothic setting and literal aspects to it, it does incorporate the
mental ideas and themes of the Gothic genre into it.
In recent years, a number of popular novels have given rise to the concept of sexualized
monsters--specifically--the vampire. At the forefront of these is Stephanie Meyers Twilight.
The blockbuster series has numerous elements of the Gothic, with a special concentration on
monsters and the sexualization of them. Edward Cullen is, in many ways, reflective of the
vampires that came before him in Gothic Literature. Countless parallels can be drawn between
Edward Cullen and his vampire predecessors, such as Lord Ruthven in John Polidoris The
Vampyre. Where Lord Ruthven watches people around him as if he could not participate
therein, while Edward and the other vampires are shown sitting in the corner of the
cafeteria...weren't talking...weren't eating; while Lord Ruthven has a deadly hue, Edward is
chalky pale; while Lord Ruthvens form and outline were beautiful, Edward is
devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful (Polidori, 1; Meyer 11). Also like Lord Ruthven, the
Cullens are extremely well-off financially and have a tendency to use this resource in order to
drift around the world when the opportunity arises.
The vampires in Stephanie Meyers novels also bear resemblance to later, classical
Gothic vampires, such as Dracula. Like Bram Stokers Dracula, who possesses supernatural
powers such us superhuman strength, hypnotic and telepathic abilities, and shapeshifting, the
vampires Meyer describes all have their own unique superhuman ability. Edward has telepathy,
Emmett has superhuman strength, Alice has precognition. Also like Dracula, Meyers vampires
cannot be killed except by decapitation and stabbing through the heart. They can pass their
vampiric condition onto others by biting them. In the case of Dracula, the victim must first day,

whereas in Meyers novels the victim must simply be bitten and receive some of the vampires
venom. Her use of werewolves also draws on these Gothic traditions, starting as well with
Dracula. Just as how Dracula can shape-shift, Meyers werewolves are just young adults who
can transform into wolves where necessary.
While there is no question that the vampires who preceded Edward Cullen also had
elements of sexuality and lust--a bite to the neck is quite intimate, after all--Meyer changed the
way in which this sexuality is received. Yes, Edward is attractive because he is physically
beautiful and mysterious, but what ultimately drags readers into him is his personality. Similarly,
the werewolves in Twilight are sexualized in a different manner: raw, tough, animalistic. Readers
fall for the innocent, funny antics of Jacob Black. Finally, Meyer adds another twist to this
romance with her addition of a complex love triangle. Never before has a group of monsters
been so over-sexualized, then pitted against one another.
While these series in no way represent the whole of young adult literature, they do
represent an extremely successful new strain of it. Hundreds of books have followed these,
many pulling in the same Gothic influences. Many other young adult books--not as successful as
these--have pulled from other elements of the Gothic as well: zombies, Egyptian mythology,
psychological thrill. It is very possible that the Gothic and young adult have only just begun a
relationship which will morph and alter itself into more and more new literary and cinematic
blockbusters.

Bibliography
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
Fairclough, Peter, Horace Walpole, William Beckford, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Three
Gothic Novels. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1968. Print.
Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. New York: Little, Brown, 2006. Print.
Polidori, John William. The Vampyre. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.
Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPr. Harry Potter: The Complete Series. New York: Scholastic,
2009. Print.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Signet Classic, 1992. Print.