Perspectives

Literary perspective

The short story “The Outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft is a gothic story. 

In gothic stories, the setting is often an old castle, church, or graveyard, which are also locations that appear in “The Outsider”. Gothic literature focuses on death and decay, terror and chaos, and passion over rationality, and it often introduces supernatural events and creatures. Lovecraft also explores these ideas in different ways, and he presents supernatural creatures like the narrator. Lastly, Gothic stories usually create an atmosphere of mystery and horror which is also the case for “The Outsider”.

Works in the same genre or with the same theme

The short story “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe is also a gothic story. If you compare Poe’s story with “The Outsider”, you could choose to focus on...