One feature that distinguishes the uncanny tales of to-day from the
Gothic is their greater range of material. The early terror story had
its source in popular superstition, classical literature, medieval
legends, or the Elizabethan drama, while in the century that has
elapsed since the decay of the Gothic novel as such, new fields of
thought have been opened up, and new sources for ghostly plots have
been discovered which the writers of modern stories are quick to
utilize. Present-day science with its wonderful development has
provided countless plots for supernatural stories. Comparative study
of folk-lore, with the activities of the numerous associations, has
brought to light fascinating material. Modern Spiritualism, with its
seances, its mediumistic experiments, has inspired many novels and
stories. The Psychical Research Society, with branches in various parts
of the world and its earnest advocates and serious investigations, has
collected suggestive stuff for many ghostly stories. The different
sources for plot material and mechanics for awesome effect, added
to these from which the terror novel drew its inspiration, have
incalculably enriched the supernatural fiction and widened the limits
far beyond the restrictions of the conventionalized Gothic.