The Gothic Reimagined: Tracing Elements of Terror and the Uncanny in Twenty-First-Century British Fiction

Abstract

This article examines the resurgence and transformation of Gothic literary conventions in twenty-first-century British fiction, arguing that contemporary writers have reimagined traditional Gothic tropes to address distinctly modern anxieties surrounding technology, ecological catastrophe, national identity, and the legacies of empire. Drawing on Sigmund Freud's concept of the uncanny, Edmund Burke's theorization of the sublime, and contemporary Gothic scholarship, this study analyses selected works by Sarah Waters, Mark Haddon, and Sarah Perry to demonstrate how the Gothic mode has been revitalized for the post-millennial era. The research employs a qualitative textual analysis methodology, examining primary literary texts alongside critical essays and theoretical frameworks from genre studies. The findings reveal that twenty-first-century British Gothic fiction deploys familiar elements (haunted spaces, spectral presences, psychological terror, and the return of the repressed) while simultaneously interrogating contemporary concerns including trauma, sexuality, mental illness, and environmental degradation. The article argues that the Gothic's inherent capacity for exploring boundary transgressions and articulating cultural fears makes it particularly suited to capturing the uncertainties of the contemporary moment. This study contributes to ongoing scholarly conversations about genre evolution, demonstrating that the Gothic remains a vital and adaptive mode capable of illuminating the hidden terrors lurking beneath the surfaces of modern British life.