Social and Cultural Influences of Nineteenth Century British and American Supernatural Fiction

Abstract

Apart from fascinating readers with the charm of mystery and bewilderment, nineteenth-century supernatural fiction proved to be skeptic about certain social and religious issues of that era. Supernaturalist fiction may seem at first sight confined to the purpose of entertaining readers by creating excitement and mystery among readers fascinated with imagination and supernaturalism. The truth is that supernatural fiction is not only confined to ‘Horror’ as a main ingredient in its formation. It is rather made of a combination of several cultural, political, and scientific elements which coincided with the emergence and flourishment of the supernatural fiction during the nineteenth century. This study aims to analyze the different trends and elements which formed nineteenth century British and American supernatural fiction and investigate how they relate to “skepticism” with its various forms and dimensions.