Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines fiction, horror, and romance with a focus on the mysterious and supernatural. Gothic fiction originated in England during the second half of the 18th century. This distinctive genre of literature soon turned into a 19th century phenomenon. The success of this dominant genre in England is often attributed to Mary Shelley. Despite its success during this time period, Gothic fiction ceased to be a dominant genre in the Victorian era. However, in many ways, it had now begun to enter its most ingenious phase. This article will analyze the influence of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein on Flannery O'Connor's work, particularly her novel Wise Blood. Flannery O'Connor has emerged as a crucial and contemporary innovator of Southern Gothic literature. Southern Gothic literature is defined as a subgenre of Gothic fiction, which originated in the United States during the 20th century. The Southern Gothic genre employs similar literary elements, which its “parent” genre had established. These elements include the employment of macabre, psychological and isolationist dimensions; except now in Southern Gothic, these elements were used to examine the values ​​of the American South. Mary Shelley and Flannery O'Connor both emerged as two prestigious figures of the Gothic through their combination of psychological and isolationist aspects, in order to create memorable works in the Gothic tradition. Shelley's influence on O'Connor's work is clearly evident when examining the recurring Gothic theme of isolationism, found in both Frankenstein and Wise Blood. Mary Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in Somers Town, London, on 30 August 1797. Shelley was an E...... middle of paper......minization of Romanticism,PMLA, vol. 95, No. 3 (May 1980), pp. 332-347, Published by:Modern Language Association Article DOI: 10.2307/461877 Stable Article URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/461877Power, Julia. Shelley in America in the twentieth century. New York: Haskell House, 1964. Print. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and J. Paul Hunter. Frankenstein. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012Print.Westwood, Martha. “Literary Devices Used in Frankenstein.” Enotes.com, 5 December 2010. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/name-least-2-provide-examples-literary-devices-225979 Willette, Janet. “What effect does isolation have on Victor and the creature in “Frankenstein?” "Enotes. Enotes.com, May 22, 2011. Web. April 6, 2014. http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-effect-isolation-has-a-winning-creature-259635