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