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French Revolution and the English Gothic Novel
The French Revolution influenced the English gothic novel.
The gothic novel combines elements of terror and romance, and the supernatural. English novelist Fanny Burney wrote at the time of the French Revolution that, "There is nothing in old history that I shall any longer think fabulous; the destruction of the most wonderful empires on record has nothing more wonderful, nor of more sounding improbability, than the demolition of this great nation, which rises up against itself for its own ruin-perhaps annihilation." A year later in 1790, English statesman Edmund Burke wrote that the French Revolution was, "the most astonishing that has hitherto happened to the world." The gothic novel was therefore a way for English writers to come to terms with what they considered to be wonderful and astounding events, perceiving what happened to their neighbors in France and with the consequences upon their own society.〔Prickett, S: "England and the French Revolution", page 1. Macmillan Education, 1989〕 Creating elements of terror and fantasy gave expression to their anxieties of what was to come, and gave voice to their incredulousness at the events taking place in France. Because of the French Revolution and France's proximity to England, English writers during that period were concerned with the concept of violent and inclusive change in the human condition. The gothic novel contains modes of nightmarish terror, violence, and sexual rapacity. These modes coincided with the mood and modes of violence brought forth during the French Revolution.
The upper echelon of English society mostly perceived the French Revolution as threatening to the status quo and stability of their accustomed lifestyle, and as a danger to their personal safety and social position within the hierarchy. It has been suggested that the gothic novel with its themes of terror and violence gave English writers a safe expression of their anxieties about disruption and chaos. They also worked to uphold the political normalcy and traditional morals of the time. Examples of this can be seen in Anne Radcliffe's female characters being submissive and incapable of making their own decisions, upholding traditional values of a patriarchal society.
==Feminism==
The dissent that occurred during the French Revolution was not only violent, it also led to women questioning their role in society and to a debate on the nature of women.〔 This debate can be seen in one of the most famous gothic novels, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In her novel she engages in a discussion of women's nature by having a man with the power to create new life instead of the woman, and its consequences. Jane Austen also engaged in this discussion in her gothic novel, Northanger Abbey. Catherine Morland, the protagonist of the novel, has to confront the workings of the political and economic system that involves women as chess pieces in marriages and of power relationships, after her visions of romance are over. In this novel one can also see how the mind can take a truth by means other than texts, many times removed from actual events. This speaks to the perception that the English had of the French Revolution.〔Iversen, A: ''The Impact of the French Revolution on English Literature'', page 40. Aarhus University Press, 1990〕
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