Gothic literature is a large genre. It could include everything from Anne Radcliffe’s 1765 novel The Mysteries of Udolpho to Neil Gaiman’s 2002 novel Coraline. Perhaps these two texts are a good place to start a discussion on the portrayal of childhood innocence in the gothic realm.

In both texts, the innocence of childhood is reinforced by the child’s relationship to nature and animals. Nature and animals are often viewed as sites of purity. They might be dangerous, but they’re not adulterated by humans. In Udolpho, Emily’s innocence might be portrayed through her rambling bucolic walks and her affinity for animals and insects. Early on, Emily pens a poem about a glowworm. Coraline, too, has an animal by her side: a black cat.

Another way in which gothic literature portrays the innocence of childhood is by subjecting the innocent child to potential danger. In a sense, their innocence is highlighted by contrasting it with guilt, evil, or whatever word comes to mind when you think of the antithesis of innocence.

In Udolpho, Emily’s innocence is challenged by Montoni, Du Pont, and an assortment of shady persons. In Coraline, the eponymous character's innocence is confronted by her scheming other mom.

For an additional portrayal of childhood innocence in gothic literature, you might check out Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. One way that Hawthorne demonstrates Pearl’s innocence is through her special bond with the forest and the creatures in it. As Hawthorne writes,

The truth seems to be, however, that the mother-forest, and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child.

Alas, childhood isn’t always portrayed as innocent in gothic stories. Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre has many notable gothic elements. Yet it would be hard to call her juvenile cousins innocent. They bully her. John Reed throws a book at Jane with such force that he knocks her down.