(1) Catholicism vs. Anglicanism

In one corner, we've got the centuries-old behemoth of Christendom; entering the ring, pulling no punches, we've got its offspring-and-rival. Who will win?

(2) French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars

Not just fodder for a classic-novel-turned-play-turned-broadway-musical-turned-Hollywood-Bluckbuster, the goings-on in France provided an interesting and oft-tempestuous backdrop for the literary world.

(3) Gothic Architecture

Did you hear that creak? Was it a loose floorboard? Was it a ghost? What's a flying buttress and what does it do? How many gargoyles does it take to give you the heebie-jeebies? Is that a turret? Can I scale it?

(4) Isolation

Gothic novels wanted you to feel alone, scared, vulnerable, and confined. Thanks, Gothic novels.

(5) Melodrama

Gasp! Ack! O my! Who is that villainous cloaked figure twirling his moustache so insidiously? O dear, I feel faint. I may just have to dramatically raise my arm to cover a silent scream as I daintily fall to the cold, hard ground in terror. Woe is me!

Needless to say, Gothic writers were totally into over-wrought emotion and borrowed heavily from melodrama.

(6) Mystery

Long before Scooby Doo's mystery bus, Gothic literature focused the core of its narrative around some deep, dark, almost unspeakable, mystery.

(7) Sensationalism

In Monsters, Inc., monsters need fearsome screams for energy. That's a lot like what's happening here: Gothic novels thrive on the varied and extreme feelings they hope to engender. From emotional responses to gut-wrenching suspense, Gothic novels were the first thrillers. Though, if you're in the camp that believes that laughs trump screams, you might want to check out some Gothic parodies.

(8) Setting as Character

Sometimes a house is just a house—but not in Gothic literature. You're not imagining things: that mirror is trying to show you something besides your reflection. Those light fixtures? They're not flickering because of the wind. Just saying.

(9) The Fallen Hero

What's better than the perfect, Superman-style, virtually-no-weaknesses superhero? Gothicism's answer: the hero who's a little dark, a little messed up, a little more like us. The fallen hero has a lot to offer…but when he saves you, it'll probably be a little—okay, a lot—messier than if Superman were to do it.

(10) The Supernatural & The Sublime

Way before these two were out fighting their way across the U.S. killing hell spawn, Gothic literature took a profound interest in the supernatural. Fantastic elements are all over the novels and often allow for an experience of the sublime (i.e., the uncanny, the inexplicable, the transcendent).