BETWEEN IRONY AND THE SUBLIME: EMOTIONAL CONTRADICTIONS AND READER RESPONSE IN CONTEMPORARY GOTHIC FICTION

Аннотация

This article explores the relationship between irony, the sublime, and emotional contradictions in Gothic fiction, focusing on their influence on reader response. Drawing on theories of irony, affect, and aesthetics, it examines how Gothic narratives combine fear, fascination, sympathy, and uncertainty to challenge conventional interpretations of human experience. Through close readings of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the study investigates how supernatural encounters and morally ambiguous characters destabilize the boundaries between horror and beauty, reason and imagination. It argues that emotional contradictions encourage critical reflection while sustaining readers’ engagement with the disturbing and extraordinary dimensions of Gothic literature