Gothic and Romantic literature both overlap in terms of their focus on the individual and the individual's experience of heightened emotion. The Romantics felt that the feeling of intense emotion was more fundamental to the human experience than logic or reason, something, they felt, that must be taught. We are born knowing how to feel deeply, and we are returned to a more innocent and original state by continuing to experience intense emotions, especially those which are inspired by nature. The Gothics felt that the most intense form of intense emotion was fear or horror, and so they sought to inspire those feelings in their readers, as a way of producing similar effects. Romantic literature might focus on the sublimity of nature, on compelling readers to experience it second-hand via imagery and vivid descriptions. Gothic literature might focus on some terrifying experiences—like the creation of a monster or the existence of the supernatural—in order to create an intensely fearful response in readers.
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