Gothic Machinery in Representative Works by Poe and Hawthorne

The Gothic romance has for its background the ancient tales of horror, the history of which is as old as the history of man. From the earliest times, writers of fiction have made use of supernatural terror, realizing its forceful and effective appeal. It is not surprising, therefore, to note that two great writers during the romantic movement in America made permanent contributions not only to American, but to world literature. Both Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne made extensive use of the long-established conventional machinery of the Gothic romance; and in some instances, each was able to employ original Gothic contrivances which have proved to be of permanent value to fiction