Well, I guess we should get straight to the point. Gothic literature (or more specifically Gothic romance) was first introduced to the world in 1764. At that time a man named Horace Walpole wrote a little "ditty" called The Castle of Otranto that most literary experts think agree as the pioneer of Gothic. There were mixed reactions at the time, to put it mildly. To quote one expert: "...presented, initially, a topic for discussion and provocative rhetoric (Alfred Potter, from Gothic Horror p128 - Clive Bloom)." Despite (or perhaps because of) its imperfect beginnings, however, Gothic literature became a venerable, if controversial, genre with a mysterious allure. Following in Walpole's wake were numerous famous authors, from Radcliffe and Jackson to the ever-popular Edgar Allen Poe. , each of which brought their own little twists to this dark love story. Indeed, with so many points of view, an exact definition of Gothic literature becomes difficult to pin down. So if there is no clear definition, you might ask (and rightly so) "What the heck is Gothic literature?" To which it is parroted: "In general, Gothic literature delves into the macabre nature of humanity in its attempt to satiate humanity's intrinsic desire to plumb the depths of terror" (from the first lines of a short sketch by T. McDonald and James Flynn). it doesn't really say much. In fact, with subtle differences, this could very well be a definition of my tenure in school. So, once again, what is Gothic literature? Well, Jacqueline Howard (among others) states that Gothic literature typically contains seven characteristics/descriptors. 1) The appearance of the... middle of the card... with the sublime terrifying image of being buried alive. With very little exposition at the beginning, we get a strong sense of mystery. The ironic villain and the irascible condemned man make attractive characters. The killer is an evil aristocrat and the ending is ambiguous. Poe's writing is a study in the science of Gothic literature. Incidentally, one of the things Poe was known for was his scientific Gothic literature. Although, if we were to discuss it, we would have to oust Poe in favor of Mary WollstonecraftShelley. If Poe is the quintessential goth, then Shelley is the quintessential scientific goth, although many people closely connect the two. In any case, I think my time here is up. I must say that I have learned a valuable lesson and that I am a better moral person than when I started this article...or AM?