Matching Pairs Themes in Gothic LiteratureOnline version list of themes found in gothic literature by Debra Waldorf 1 Power of Ancestral Sins 2 Fear of Machines 3 Madness - Your own or others 4 Danger of Science 5 Struggle between World of Imagination and World of Reason 6 Dangerous Knowledge 7 Sublime Nature 8 Rational vs Irrational 9 Supernatural 10 Powerful Secrets The fear that machines will overtake us. Knowing how to do something that maybe probably/shouldn't be done A character's madness may reveal a darker reality. Insane characters often speak truths that normal characters wish to deny. Nature is awesome - an anti-depressant! Keeping secrets involves lack of trust, lies of omission, and outright lies. Difference between what is real and what is not. Fear of going insane or trouble distinguishing between fiction and nonfiction. Otherworldly elements: ghosts, aliens, witches, etcetera People playing God Actions that cursed future generations or the fear that they will.