Relier Pairs Themes in Gothic LiteratureVersion en ligne list of themes found in gothic literature par Debra Waldorf 1 Supernatural 2 Power of Ancestral Sins 3 Struggle between World of Imagination and World of Reason 4 Powerful Secrets 5 Danger of Science 6 Madness - Your own or others 7 Fear of Machines 8 Rational vs Irrational 9 Sublime Nature 10 Dangerous Knowledge Otherworldly elements: ghosts, aliens, witches, etcetera Actions that cursed future generations or the fear that they will. Nature is awesome - an anti-depressant! People playing God Knowing how to do something that maybe probably/shouldn't be done Fear of going insane or trouble distinguishing between fiction and nonfiction. Difference between what is real and what is not. The fear that machines will overtake us. A character's madness may reveal a darker reality. Insane characters often speak truths that normal characters wish to deny. Keeping secrets involves lack of trust, lies of omission, and outright lies.