Horla”Gothic fiction is a literary form that embodies mystery and terror. The term Gothic is a subgenre of the Romantic movement of the 19th century. Gothic refers to architecture that was intended to introduce light and height into churches through pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and stained glass windows (Voloshin 421). Although Gothic fiction was begun in England, it had broad appeal in Italy, Germany, and Ireland. Two popular novels that follow the themes and conventions of Gothic fiction are “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe and “L'Horla” by Guy de Maupassant. Both are tales that embody most of the conventions that can be associated with stereotypical gothic literary fiction. Both literary works utilize the deterioration of the human mind and supernatural phenomenon throughout the story, a commonly used Gothic convention. While both stories are inherently different in aspects such as narrative, both succeed in demonstrating the descent of the human intellect from an obsession with the unknown that only leads to self-destruction. Fear is a guiding force in both tales, and the main characters' fixation with it only leads to their deaths. Since both terror and the supernatural are common conventions in most Gothic fiction, Gothic fiction is a popular genre of literature whose goal is to combine horror, fiction, and romance. It originated in 18th century England and is said to have been founded through Horace Walpole's novel “The Castle of Otranto” (Hughes). He claimed it was a "found" medieval manuscript which added to its popularity, although he later admitted this was a lie (Hughes). This mode of literature appears to have grown out of Gothic architecture... middle of paper... has conventions commonly demonstrated in Gothic fiction surrounding setting, atmosphere, and theme. While there are significant differences between the two, it is the execution of collectively recognized themes of Gothic literature that enhances its effects on readers, the most prominent of which is the element of the supernatural and madness. In both stories, the characters are haunted by paranormal activity that slowly begins to consume them. Over the course of the stories they then begin to deteriorate mentally, which leads to their deaths. The journey on which the reader is taken by observing the slow unraveling of their own mental state significantly defines the overall effect of Gothic fictions. Without this process, both stories would not have been able to create the dark, dark undertone that adds to the stories' impact..