The occult motives in the gothic novel of 18th i 19th century

Abstract

This text’s topic are all the forms of occultism and magic presented in four examples of gothic novel: Matthew Gregory Lewis’ The Monk, Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton’s The Last Days of Pompeii, William Beckford’s Vathek and Alexandre Dumas’ The Wolf Leader. The work presents the part, which magic plays in characters’ lives: how it is considered as art and wisdom, how important are rituals, why do people want to use it, how evil it can be, how it separates magicians from others, and how it can destroy the protagonist’s life.