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Gothic sonnet

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A sonnet that incorporates Gothic themes and imagery—such as terror, ruins, or the supernatural—within its traditional structure.

Detailed Definition
A Gothic sonnet adapts the traditional sonnet form to Gothic themes—haunting, decay, psychological terror, or supernatural dread—often subverting its romantic conventions through dark imagery, fractured syntax, or unresolved volta, as seen in works by Poe or modern poets exploring uncanny interiority.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” Gothic sonnet elements appear in refrain and melancholy; In Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market,” Gothic sonnet explores temptation and sisterhood; In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” Gothic sonnet conflates father and vampire; In Anne Sexton’s “Her Kind,” Gothic sonnet embraces witch identity; In Tracy K. Smith’s “The United States Welcomes You,” Gothic sonnet exposes surveillance; In Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” Gothic sonnet addresses trauma through ghostly address.
Additional Notes
Sonnet using Gothic imagery, themes, or atmosphere. 14 lines with dark romantic elements. Related: Gothic poetry, sonnet variations. Study: how fixed form contains Gothic excess.
Also Known As
Dark sonnet Horror fourteen-liner Gothic love poem Supernatural sonnet Horror sonnet horror-structured sonnet
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