THE POWER OF IMAGINATION TOWARDS AN AESTHETIC MODAL IN THE AUGUSTAN AND VICTORIAN GOTHIC NOVELS

The Gothic genre was born in England in 1764 towards the end of the 18th century. It developed particularly during the Romantic period, first in poetry, then in fiction. Its success is fueled by a particular attraction to the sentimental, the uncanny and the macabre, and was rooted in the rediscovery of Gothic architecture and renewed interest in the past in England. Beyond its popular and sensational aspects, the Gothic novel questions society. Monsters and supernatural figures are used as metaphors to question the roles of men and women, the weight of religion and the relationship with institutions. Gothic codes resurface in periods of upheaval, from Victorian England to the protest movements of the 1960s. Gothic literature often features dark, desolate settings, brooding characters, and intense emotional experiences, creating an atmosphere of suspense and terror.