I had an interesting conversation on Threads the other day with another author. They (I do not know their pronouns so I hope “they” is ok) were asking for recommendations for gothic fiction, and so I shared The Name and the Key with them to see if it would be their cup of tea. I referred to it as a “gothic dark fantasy” and continued my blurb, and they responded:

Can’t be both gothic and dark fantasy. That’s the labeling problem I learned with my book! Gothic fantasy OR a dark fantasy, but both together do not make sense for their subgenre conventions.

I didn’t know this. And then I doubted myself because I was worried I made a recommendation that didn’t actually qualify for what they wanted. Plus, I’d been using “gothic fantasy” and “dark fantasy” in my marketing…and OHB referred to the book as “gothic fantasy,” too!

When I wrote The Name and the Key, I didn’t think of it as gothic fiction. I thought of it as a dark fantasy. And I thought that simply meant that the fantasy had dark, slightly horrific elements to it.

Here are the genre requirements for dark fantasy, according to “The Elements of Dark Fantasy” by James Landrith.

Dark fantasy is a segment of fiction that features plots and themes involving fear, horror, supernatural or psychologically based elements (Roberts 31). […]

The plots of dark fantasy often feature dramatic struggles against impending doom or a character battling against himself for control of his own sanity. These stories are differentiated from other forms of fantasy by their prominent lack of the high fantasy element of a happy ending or the ultimate triumph of good over evil. […]

Another element of dark fantasy features storylines containing supernatural or mythological characterizations. Many early examples of dark fantasy featured ghosts and demons. Popular nineteenth century authors of dark fantasy often included such elements as legitimate characters, interacting with, or terrorizing the living.

This sounds like The Name and the Key to me for several reasons.

1. There are elements of fear, horror, and the supernatural, and a look at character psychology
2. There is a struggle between a character and both an internal/external force that causes said character to control her sanity
3. Storylines contain supernatural and mythological characterizations, featuring ghosts and demons
4. The Name and the Key ends unhappily/on a cliffhanger

Once The Name and the Key started getting editorial reviews, though, the gothic label kept popping up.

Literary Titan called it a “fantasy novel with a strong gothic streak.” The American Writing awards said it was “an intellectually ambitious, emotionally resonant fantasy that blends Gothic sensibility with esoteric magic.”

So, based on their reviews, I started thinking of The Name and the Key as a Gothic fantasy.

Here are the genre requirements for a Gothic work, according to “Elements of the Gothic Novel” by Robert Harris:

1. Setting in a castle or old mansion.
2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense.
3. An ancient prophecy
4. Omens, portents, visions
5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events
6. High, even overwrought emotion
7. Women in distress
8. Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male
9. The metonymy of gloom and horror
10. Certain vocabulary words common in Gothic texts
11. Hyperbolic phrases

Notice that these elements are for a Gothic novel in general, not Gothic fantasy. I had a harder time finding qualifiers for that genre.

Here’s how The Name and the Key scores:

YES – #2, #4, #5, #6, #7
NO – #1, #3, #8, #9, #10, #11 (I don’t often employ the language of Gothic; I focus more on fantasy phrasing or a fairy-tale like narrative voice).

So, this is confusing–according to Robert Harris, I don’t have a Gothic novel, but according to two editorials, and one Goodreads review, I have a novel with Gothic characteristics.

OOPS! This does not make a true Gothic novel…only a book with flavors of the Gothic.

I’m going to have to rethink my marketing a bit based on this research I’ve done.