Gothic Poland and British Fiction, c. 1790–1830

This Element shows how Poland became a gothic setting in British fiction between the 1790s and the 1830s as a result of public interest in the partitions of Poland. It argues that the idea of Gothic Poland was negotiated between the particular and the universal, the familiar and the unknown, and the need for historical and factual accuracy.

This Element demonstrates how Poland became a gothic setting in British fiction between the 1790s and the 1830s as a result of public interest in the partitions of Poland (1772–95) and their aftermath. It first discusses the ways Minerva gothics capitalised on the appeal of the Polish cause and showcases salient patterns for the 'Gothicisation' of Poland. This is followed by two focused readings of texts – Jane Porter's Thaddeus of Warsaw (1803) and Catherine Gore's Polish Tales (1833) – that build on this tradition and further explore the potential of female gothic frameworks and the gothic's long-standing investment in war and revolution to generalise and allegorise the political turmoil in Poland. This Element argues that the idea of Gothic Poland in British fiction was negotiated between the particular and the universal, the familiar and the unknown, the need for historical and factual accuracy and the prevalent patterns of gothic obfuscation.