During the 19th century--especially the Victorian era--society had a tight grip on the imaginations, morals and libidos of the general population. As an outlet for their repression, those who could read often immersed themselves in Gothic novels for titillation, dark suspense and a vicarious peek into the lives of characters who were emotionally and physically diseased. These forerunners to the modern horror genre in film and literature expanded in the 20th century to include romantic themes involving naive young governesses and brooding lords of fog-shrouded estates.
Make the threat of death a prevalent guest throughout your plot. This can take the form of ongoing references to ancestors who met a wicked demise or the gruesomely systematic winnowing down of the manor's residents. In vintage Gothic fiction, the heroine does not always make a successful escape from her attacker. With modern novels that embrace Gothic themes, she is either rescued at the last minute by the man she truly loves or uses her own wits to dodge destruction.
