What does SS stand for? The abbreviation SS S.S. in front of the name of a ship stands for Steamship.SS is often used in the US as an abbreviation for social security.SS in the context of the Holocaust and World War 2 stands for Schutzstaffel which, translated literally, means Protective Squad.
Gothic authors are also often really into concepts like the sublime. No, not the '90s band. In literature, the term refers to a kind of out of this world experience that someone has in nature. And in gothic literature, it's closely linked with, well, sheer terrorâall because the sublime is so awe-inspiring.
In the 18th century the term Gothic morphed into a genre of literature that had elements of horror. Esther Lombardi (Classic Literature Guide) describes the genre as characterized by supernaturalism, melodrama, and sensationalism..he term Gothic was used in the Renaissance to describe certain types of art (and architecture -- think gargoyles) in the Middle Ages, according to Shelley Esaak's Art History 101.