Gothic Literature

 Gothic Literature highlights fear and terror with emotional extremes and dark themes. It has regularly been used as a literary device to highlight social issues and injustices, which is possibly one reason for its enduring popularity.  

Gothic literature emerged in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It was named for the perceived influence Gothic architecture of the time had as the setting of many dark tales, though some, such as Edgar Allan Poe’s works, took place in ordinary homes. Gothic works embraced the imaginary, as did Romantic literature, but differed from other genres mainly in their focus on seemingly supernatural events. Gothic literature also explored the dark side of human nature, as evidenced in the works of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Robert Louis Stevenson. Emily Brontë incorporated Gothic and Romantic traits in a haunting exploration of thwarted lovers. Both Stevenson and Brontë incorporated traditions of Victorian morality tales—characters of good moral character are rewarded in the end, as bad behavior is justly rewarded—though they deviate from the Victorian theme of restraint. As in Romanticism, Gothic characters are subject to wildness and uncontrolled emotion.

HISTORIC EVENTS

Gothic literature was thriving when many advances were taking place and much of the world was in chaos. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution (1760–1840), changes were evident throughout society in areas including technology, education, culture, medicine, and the economy. In Great Britain human labor was being replaced with powered machinery and iron and coal were supplanting wood. Capitalism was on the rise, and during this historic era all aspects of society were altered.

King George III succeeded to the throne in 1760 as the Industrial Revolution was getting off the ground. His reign was controversial. Rumors of bribery and coercion swirled as he tried to stack Parliament in his favor with yes-men. The king suffered from a disease believed to be porphyria, and many of his decisions on the throne would be blamed on this affliction. His actions during the American Revolution and episodes of madness related to his disease undermined King George III. In 1811 his son, George, was made Prince Regent until the king’s death in 1820.

The world saw three periods of war under King George: The Seven Years’ War, the Revolutionary War, and the Napoleonic Wars. The Seven Years’ War began in 1756 over territory disputes with France. International problems erupted, and Europe, India, the Caribbean, and North America all became involved. In 1763 The Peace of Paris was signed, ending the war and establishing Great Britain as the foremost colonial power. The Revolutionary War began because of the stubbornness of King George III, who insisted on taxing the new colonies in 1775, and by 1776 the colonies were fighting to gain their freedom from Britain. The Americans had their final victory at Yorktown in 1781. The conflicts of the Napoleonic Wars lasted from 1792–1815. During this time France was under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte. As the wars persisted, France continued to shift its alliances and, for a brief time, had domination. In 1815, however, Napoleon faced defeat at Waterloo.

Between 1750 and 1850 much of the world saw dark times, uncertainty, and years filled with war. It is no surprise, then, that the literature of the era is as sinister and ominous as the events that helped create it.

LITERARY THEMES

Gothic literature deals with the dark side of human nature. This theme can be seen in works like Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. Works such as these are not merely horrifying—they are cloaked in uncertainty and stocked with mysterious passageways, passion over reason, and irrational fears. Some historians refer to the literature of this period as the writing of unconscious nightmares; this description aptly embodies the feelings of dread produced by the works.

Other common Gothic themes revolve around ruin and decay, as seen in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. Published in 1764, Otranto is credited as being the first true Gothic novel, the work that influenced the other writers of this period. Not only did it establish the Gothic castle, it also had an intricate plot, supernatural occurrences, and underground passageways. This novel also commenced the concept of the “stock character,” stereotypical personalities such as women in distress, madmen, or villains who lurk in the shadows. While British Gothic literature embraced crumbling castles and family secrets, American writers delved more often into psychological issues.

MAJOR BRITISH AUTHORS AND WORKS

Ann Radcliffe was an influential Gothic writer whose works embodied the thematic idea of repressed desires, terror, and irrational fears. The Mysteries of Udolpho, one of her most famous pieces, highlights supernatural occurrences throughout the text; however, like all of her works, the mysterious events of this Gothic romance have rational explanations at the end.

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, published in 1847, is a tale of passion and cruelty that shocked readers of the era. The love story of Catherine and Heathcliff on the wild moors, the specter of Catherine’s ghost, and Heathcliff’s vindictiveness inhabit this dark yet enduring novel.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (1818) and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) dig deeply into the motif of the dark side of human nature. For Shelley, this involves seeking the mysteries of life by creating a human monster as a scientific experiment. For Stevenson, this means creating a character that drinks a potion, unleashing an immoral monster for a short time. Hyde is a symptom of Jekyll’s need to be an example to others and disassociate himself from improper appetites. Both “monsters” arise out of science.

MAJOR AMERICAN GOTHIC LITERATURE

Edgar Allen Poe may be one of the most well-known American authors of this genre. His macabre writing invites readers inside a mourning man’s room, where a visiting raven stresses repeatedly that he will “nevermore” see his lost love. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator wants revenge on a man who wronged him. He lures his unsuspecting victim into a dark basement with the promise of a wine comparable to Amontillado—only to bury him alive. Poe’s works embody the Gothic spirit, but none more so than “The Fall of the House of Usher.” All of the traditional Gothic symbols and themes are present in this short story. The house is crumbling. Supernatural occurrences are present throughout the story, as Usher believes he hears mysterious sounds coming from inside the house. Even the house itself seems to embody the concept of an imprisoning vault, trapping Usher and his sister inside. Most of all, though, this story delves into the darkness of the human soul, brought about by the disease affecting Usher. It is through this madness that Usher must face his irrational fears and realize that he buried his sister alive.

GOTHIC INFLUENCES IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE

Unlike other literary periods when literature encompassed a common theme, Gothic literature became its own genre—not just a period, but also a writing style. It unearthed secrets and let minds wander into the territory of irrational fear.

Gothic classics endure, while new writers build upon these traditions. Wuthering Heights has been filmed many times and the concept of Frankenstein has been rewritten by Dean Koontz and others. Movies have been made of the works of Poe, and his tales have a wide following today. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897, includes many of the genre’s standards—a mysterious castle, a tomb, shadows, danger, death, blood, a woman in peril, and a mysterious woman who creeps about in the night stalking children.

Gothic literature continues to influence generations. From an Anne Rice novel about a family of witches to teen vampire romances, the images that defined the Gothic period are still obvious. Gothic literature has evolved into something of a horror genre, however, and may continue to change with the times.