A comparative study of Gothic literature components in fiction based on the French school (Based on three European and four Iranian works)

Comparative literature, in its French sense, provides the possibility to understand the similarities or differences between literary works. Gothic literature, as one of the ways of writing stories, is a genre that has emerged in the 18th</sup> century. It mainly focused on creating fear and terror, illusory and melancholic atmospheres based on neurotic characters. Horace Walpole wrote the first Gothic novel, "The Castle of Otranto" in 1764, and many writers followed his lead. Persian Contemporary fiction writing was also influenced by this genre and many works were written in this field. Despite this influence, there is a gap in the comparative study of this genre in the works of European and Iranian authors. This research, using the analytical-comparative procedure, has examined those works that have more affinity and consistency with the characteristics and components of Gothic literature. Furthermore, following the principles of French school of thought, it has examined, analyzed, and compared their commonalities and differences. The findings of the research show that Iranian writers did not emphasize the direct use of the principles of this school of thought. The existence of any similarities between the works of these writers and European Gothic writers is mostly the product of the indirect influence of these writers from Gothic stories in world literature. Based on this, it should be said that Iranian story writers were influenced by this school in three ways comprising imitation, metamorphosis, and innovation.