what is gothic literature
Gothic literature has a long history behind it, and there are many books today still being written in that style.
Basically, it is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. One of the first gothic writers was the English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto.
Prominent features of Gothic fiction include terror (both psychological and physical), mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, haunted houses and Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, decay, doubles, madness, secrets, and hereditary curses.
The stock characters of Gothic fiction include tyrants, villains, bandits, maniacs, Byronic heroes, persecuted maidens, femmes fatales, madwomen, magicians, vampires, werewolves, monsters, demons, angels, fallen angels, the beauty and the beast, revenants, ghosts, perambulating skeletons, the Wandering Jew, and the Devil himself.
Probably the most horrific gothic novel of its day (and even by today's standards) is The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. It was written before the author turned 20, in the space of 10 weeks. It involves a once-pious monk named Ambrosio, who is undone by carnal lust for his pupil, a woman disguised as a monk (Matilda). In reality she is an instrument of Satan in female form, who tempts him to transgress, and, once Ambrosio is satisfied by her, he is overcome with desire for the innocent Antonia. Using magic spells Matilda aids him in seducing Antonia, whom he later rapes and kills. Before he dies a horrible death himself, Satan tells Ambrosio that Antonia was his sister. The lurid details and graphic imagery are really disturbing!
Basically, it is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. One of the first gothic writers was the English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto.
Prominent features of Gothic fiction include terror (both psychological and physical), mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, haunted houses and Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, decay, doubles, madness, secrets, and hereditary curses.
The stock characters of Gothic fiction include tyrants, villains, bandits, maniacs, Byronic heroes, persecuted maidens, femmes fatales, madwomen, magicians, vampires, werewolves, monsters, demons, angels, fallen angels, the beauty and the beast, revenants, ghosts, perambulating skeletons, the Wandering Jew, and the Devil himself.
Probably the most horrific gothic novel of its day (and even by today's standards) is The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. It was written before the author turned 20, in the space of 10 weeks. It involves a once-pious monk named Ambrosio, who is undone by carnal lust for his pupil, a woman disguised as a monk (Matilda). In reality she is an instrument of Satan in female form, who tempts him to transgress, and, once Ambrosio is satisfied by her, he is overcome with desire for the innocent Antonia. Using magic spells Matilda aids him in seducing Antonia, whom he later rapes and kills. Before he dies a horrible death himself, Satan tells Ambrosio that Antonia was his sister. The lurid details and graphic imagery are really disturbing!
what made your era unique
The 300-year period in which Gothic style reigned was a time of architectural advancement and artistic evolution leading into the Renaissance. The influence of this period is present today, as many of the structures are still standing and the art is still enjoyed and studied by many. A brief break in the hold of Rome over Europe, the Gothic Period was the time for French style to shine.
formats of literature
Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. Common themes in Southern Gothic literature include deeply flawed, disturbing or disorienting characters, decayed or derelict settings, grotesque situations, and other sinister events relating to or coming from poverty, alienation, racism, crime, and violence.[1] It is unlike its parent genre in that it uses these tools not solely for the sake of suspense, but to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South, with the Gothic elements taking place in amagic realist context rather than a strictly fantastical one. The images of Great Depression photographer Walker Evans are frequently seen to evoke the visual depiction of the Southern Gothic
popular writer in Gothic
historical events of Gothic American era
Early American Gothic [edit]Early American Gothic writers were particularly concerned with frontier wilderness anxiety and the lasting effects of a Puritanical society. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving is perhaps the most famous example of American Colonial era horror fiction. As mentioned above Charles Brockden Brown was deeply affected by these circumstances, this is well evidenced by pieces such as Wieland (novel).
Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Washington Irving are often grouped together.[2] They present impressive, albeit disturbing, portraits of the human experience by way of horror. Poe accomplished this through the window of a diseased and depressive fascination with the morose, Irving with the keen charm of a masterful storyteller, and Hawthorne with familial bonds to past abominations like the Salem Witch Trials which he addresses in "Custom House".
New American Gothic [edit]Authors who fall under the category of "New American Gothic" include: Flannery O'Connor, John Hawkes, and J.D. Salinger. These writers rely on the use of private worlds to weave their Gothic intrigue, as such the destruction of the family unit is commonplace in the New American Gothic. The psyche becomes the setting in the microcosms this particular brand of horror creates.[6] Typically, these stories have a sort of "antihero"; an anxiety riddled individual of little admirable strength. These features are conspicuous in stories such as "A Good Man is Hard to Find", "The Laughing Man", Wise Blood, The Lime Twig, and The Beetle Leg.
Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Washington Irving are often grouped together.[2] They present impressive, albeit disturbing, portraits of the human experience by way of horror. Poe accomplished this through the window of a diseased and depressive fascination with the morose, Irving with the keen charm of a masterful storyteller, and Hawthorne with familial bonds to past abominations like the Salem Witch Trials which he addresses in "Custom House".
New American Gothic [edit]Authors who fall under the category of "New American Gothic" include: Flannery O'Connor, John Hawkes, and J.D. Salinger. These writers rely on the use of private worlds to weave their Gothic intrigue, as such the destruction of the family unit is commonplace in the New American Gothic. The psyche becomes the setting in the microcosms this particular brand of horror creates.[6] Typically, these stories have a sort of "antihero"; an anxiety riddled individual of little admirable strength. These features are conspicuous in stories such as "A Good Man is Hard to Find", "The Laughing Man", Wise Blood, The Lime Twig, and The Beetle Leg.