What is the connection between Gothic horror (genre) and the Victorians and their attitudes?
The Victorian era was kind of the heyday for Gothic fiction. Though it was really popular around the turn of the 19th century and a lot of the classics date from that era, the Victorian Gothic novels remain extremely popular and are considered classics even outside the genre. Examples are Dracula, Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Turn of the Screw. The vampire especially came into vogue in the literature of this era. Also, Victorian culture in general was a little morbid and romantic. Think of their elaborate mourning dress and the popularity of memento jewelry. Neo-Gothic architecture also became popular during the Victorian era. In fact, architects who favored that style were the first people to be called “Goths” since the ancient Germanic tribe! Finally, it is a convention of Gothic fiction to make reference in some way to past eras. As many of the original Gothic novels were set in the medieval era or in medieval buildings, so modern Gothic fiction is often set in
