Abstract
Twilight, a successful gothic novel with gothic elements, tells the story of vampires and human beings. While it follows the features of gothic novel, it has also made many innovations. This essay will elaborate it from three aspects including the character, the setting and the theme of the novel. And the essay will also explore the reasons why Mayer makes such innovations so can we can learn the practical significance of these innovations.
Keywords    twilight   gothic novel   inheritance   innovation 

《暮光之城》是一部成功的哥特小说，讲述了吸血鬼与人类之间发生的故事。小说在继承哥特小说特色的同时还进行了大量的创新。本论文将从人物塑造、背景设置以及小说主题三个方面多个角度分析阐述作品所做的继承与创新。论文还从社会趋势与大众心理两个方面对梅尔对《暮光之城》的创新的原因进行探究，从来得出创新的现实意义，并进一步推出《暮光之城》对哥特小说发展史的影响。
关键词  《暮光之城》   哥特小说   继承   创新     

“Novel is an important form in the history of literature. Samuel Richardson identified the gothic novel as a new kind of novel which is the product of the combination of tales and reality. Therefore, critics in the 18th century found that gothic novel successfully combined the traditions of romance and novel which was the new kind of novel. ”
Gothic novel is an important form of English literature in the 18th century as well as the most wide-spread and influential form in the history of English literature. Gothic novel is symbolized as horror, mystery and gloom accompanied with the existence of supernatural creatures. The Castle of Otranto, the first gothic novel in history, tells the story of Manfred, lord of the castle and his family. The story is set in an old castle. Another important gothic novel is Dracula which tells the story of a lord who lost his beloved one and started his revenge. The whole book is full of desire, revenge and slaughter. “Nearly all Gothic horror stories share five basic motifs: a castle/haunted house setting; a young innocent hero; a villain/monster; a dark/oppressive setting; and the inclusion of societal taboos.”