Gothic Literature is Just Terrible

775 Words2 Pages

Well, I suppose we should get right to it. Gothic Literature (or more specifically, the gothic romance) was first introduced to the world in the year 1764. At that time a man by the name of Horace Walpole wrote a little "ditty" he titled The Castle of Otranto which most literary experts seem to agree is the Gothic pioneer. At the time, there were mixed reactions, to say the least. To quote one pundit: "...it presented, at first, a topic for argument and inflammatory rhetoric (Alfred Potter, from Gothic Horror p128 - Clive Bloom)." Despite (or maybe because of) its imperfect beginnings, however, Gothic literature came to be a venerable, albeit controversial genre with a mysterious appeal. Following in Walpole's wake were a number of famous authors ranging from Radcliffe and Jackson to the ever-popular Edgar Allen Poe, all of whom brought their own little twists to the dark romance. In fact, with so many points of view, an exact definition of gothic literature becomes difficult to nail down. So if there is no clear definition, one might ask (and justifiably) "What the heck is Gothic literature?" To which one parrots: "Generally speaking, Gothic literature delves into the macabre nature of humanity in its quest to satiate mankind's intrinsic desire to plumb the depths of terror" (from the opening lines of a short sketch by T. McDonald and James Flynn). But that doesn't really say much. In fact, with subtle differences, that could very well be a definition of my tenure at school. So again, what is gothic literature? Well, Jacqueline Howard (among others) claims that Gothic literature typically contains seven features/descriptors. 1) The appearance of th... ... middle of paper ... ...ith the sublimely terrifying image of being buried alive. With very very little exposition at the outset, we have a strong sense of mystery. The ironic villain and the irascible condemned make for appealing characters. The killer is an evil aristocrat and the ending is ambiguous. Poe's writing is a study of the science of Gothic literature. Incidentally, one of the things Poe was known for was his scientific Gothic literature. Although, if we were to discuss that, we would have to oust Poe in favour Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. If Poe is the quintessential goth, then Shelley is the quintessential scientific goth although many people relate them closely. In any case, I think my time here is up. I must say that I've learned a valuable lesson and am a morally better person than when I began this paper... or AM I?

Open Document