The Supernatural in Romantic and Gothic Literature: An  Analysis of Themes and Motifs

MADAROVÁ, Kateřina

This thesis explores the symbolic functions of supernatural elements in selected works of Romantic and Gothic literature, focusing on how such motifs articulate psychological, emotional, and spiritual tensions. Rather than treating the supernatural as mere spectacle or genre convention, this thesis argues that it operates as a meaningful language through which authors confront the limits of reason, the persistence of grief, the weight of guilt, and the longing for transcendence. Bram Stoker's Dracula uses shadows to evoke uncertainty and the encroachment of an unknowable, supernatural presence, highlighting the fragility of rational perception. In contrast, the spirits in Lord Byron's Manfred represent overwhelming natural forces beyond human control, confronting the Romantic hero with the limits of his agency and the inevitability of mortality. Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights employs graveyards as metaphors for mourning and unresolved emotional attachments, portraying the lasting psychological effects of love and death. Finally, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the undead symbolize a state of spiritual and psychological paralysis, reflecting the inner turmoil of guilt and the suspension between condemnation and redemption. Through close reading and symbolic analysis, this thesis demonstrates how Romantic and Gothic authors employ supernatural motifs not only to unsettle or enchant, but to express deep human anxieties and desires. In doing so, the supernatural becomes a vital tool for exploring what lies beyond the grasp of language and reason, the shadowed territory of the mind and soul.

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