I hope this sort of post is allowed and Im not banned with my first. You see I need help. I am writing or am planning to write a paper on the topic of innovators and development of American Gothic fiction. The problem is that there are so many authors Charles Brockden Brown with Wieland and the ventriloquist Carwin, Robert Browning with Pophyrias Lover or My Last Duchess, Poe of course, Lovecraft and his cosmic fear...Its so broad its hard to put you mind around it. I don't even know if it is a good topic for an MA paper. Please, does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe there is some article on the subject or some widely regarded list of the most important contributors to the genre.

I don't know where you might find good information, but it would make an interesting paper. Perhaps, it may turn into a book in the future.

You would have to define American Gothic fiction - you may have a different definition than we do. If the definition is too broad, perhaps you can focus on a specific genre of Gothic. There may be many authors, but you'll need to focus on those who contributed something novel to the genre.