Gothic Formula

- A character whose sensibilites will be sympathetically familiar and contemporary to the matter of the actual setting - is removed by circumstances from the normal to another dark realm
- This is another world, and it seeks to bring the protagonist under its sway. Supernatural manifestations, manifestations of the villians usually quite natural designs
- The protagonist becomes intrigued, or desperate enough to voluntarily travel deeper into the castles mysteries
- At the crux of the story, the awful thruth is revealed - and then the escape, through fortuitous discovery or romantic interest
- In true gothic, evil cannot be a moral cipher, or a psychological bon mot. It must take its place as an active, positive force in the narrative, for the characters as well as the reader. Torture and terror is never enought, there must also be the possibility that this is a genuine alternative with its own rules, own passions and rewards. The character must be able to see themselves as part of it-perhaps secretly desire it.