Gotički elementi u pjesmama G. A. Burgera, J. W. Goethea i E. A. Poea

This paper deals with Gothic elements as they appear in the ballads of Gottfried August Bürger, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Edgar Allan Poe. Although parts of different national literatures, these works exhibit similar themes and motifs which revolve around a woman who creates the suspenseful atmosphere in the ballads. Other elements common to the Gothic genre and to the American and European Romantic movement include strong emotions, such as fear, terror, and passion, as well as a combination of love and death. The paper starts by explaining the theoretical and historical background of the Gothic in Germany and America, whereas the analysis covers detailed usage of Gothic elements in the ballads, alongside their interpretation