Haamulinna : Aineistohistoriallinen tutkimus Englannin kauhuromantiikasta

This scholarly investigation charts the rise of English Gothic romance, focusing on the haunted castle as a central stage. It follows the evolution from Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill through Clara Reeve’s and Ann Radcliffe’s spectral estates, showing how architecture, moonlit landscapes and secret passages shaped early dread‑filled narratives. By drawing connections to Shakespeare, Spenser and earlier medieval motifs, the author reveals how the genre’s gloomy ambience and romantic melancholy emerged from a blend of literary tradition and contemporary fascination with the supernatural.

The second part turns to the lives of the writers themselves, especially Matthew Gregory Lewis, tracing his family background, education and formative experiences in Oxford, Paris and Weimar. It links their personal histories to the thematic choices that defined Gothic fiction, while also examining the genre’s broader cultural resonance and the satirical responses it provoked. Listeners receive a clear, well‑structured overview of how haunted settings and haunted minds helped forge a lasting literary legacy.