In Which I Contemplate Goths

There is something wonderfully mystical about Jane Eyre. There is a Fae-like feel to Jane's first encounter with Mr. Rochester--the secluded lane, the foggy dark of night. It is all very poetic and very shivery-in-a-good-way. I do wonder at her descriptions of Jane. She is described as small and pale and plain. But there is a sharp edge to her thoughts, despite her Quaker looks and dress. Is it traditional in a Gothic novel to have a supernatural heroine, as well as an air of the supernatural infusing the plot and setting? Jane Eyre is the quintessential Gothic novel, but to me, it reads as more: more mystical, more mysterious, more romantic. But then again, I have read very few examples of Gothic novels. So. Next on my list: one of Anne Radcliffe's Gothic novels, as she is the pioneer of the genre. Perhaps The Mysteries of Udolpho--with ghosts galore!