Gothic Culture
You're walking down the street and all of a sudden you encounter a group of oddly dressed youngsters all in black, or perhaps wearing elaborate lace and brocade, looking strangely like they came out of eighteenth century. You immediately feel a bit of apprehensions as you clutch your child closer to and wonder what exactly it is that these kids are up to. Are they part of a Satan worshiping cult, or just a band of traveling actors? In either case their strange dress and pale likenesses took you aback and made you a bit prone to prejudge. What you were probably looking at were a group of Goths. What exactly is a Goth you may ask, and why the weird dress and affinity for black. This along with the origins, and some of the trials and tribulations faced by this extraordinary group of individuals, along with dispelling some common misconceptions is the objective of my writings. First lets take a look at what Goth is and where it began.
Gage Canadian Dictionary defines "Goth." as "an uncivilized person, barbarian."( 1975:425) the origin of the word dates back to the third or fourth centuries when a Germanic tribe called the VisiGoths overran the Roman Empire and settled in what is now Sweden and the surrounding area (Shultz,1984:325). The word gained its modern meaning during the Italian Renaissance when the word was used to describe the architecture that was emerging at the time. The architecture was considered barbaric because of its pointed arches and steep roofs, along with the frequent use of the gargoyle, which was thought to ward of evil spirits. The modern Gothic movement and its origins are not as easily defined, and varies according to your source. I've combined the two to show an evolution of how it all...
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...nformation has always been the key to help ease prejudices and discrimination, by introducing the ideology behind the Goth culture and explaining the reason behind the dress; I hope that it has brought about a better understanding of these people and their plight to a peaceful existence.
Bibliography
Fulton, Ben "Goths For Goodwill."City Beat (1998): 2p. Online. Internet. June 4,1998. www.slweekly.com/news/citybeat/cb 980604 a.html
"Dictionary of Goth" 6/24/98 http:www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/~vkc20/goth/qzhtml
Shultz, James.(1975) Germanic Tribes (3rd ED), Published by Weber and Van Syckle: Berlin
Sangange, Eretica "Darkness Can be Felt"(1999): Online.Internet. June 30, 1999.
http://pages.prodigy.com/Fifth Dream/goth.htm
Yvain, Euphrosyne "Origins of Modern Gothic Culture"(1999) Online. Internet June 24,1999. http:www.blood-dance.net/goth/origins.html
Gothic Literature was a natural progression from romanticism, which had existed in the 18th Century. Initially, such a ‘unique’ style of literature was met with a somewhat mixed response; although it was greeted with enthusiasm from members of the public, literary critics were much more dubious and sceptical.
From time immemorial, hell was an inspiration for the costumes used during Halloween. In the contemporary society, turning up for Halloween dressed up as a goblin, zombie or ghost is less likely to make a staunch follower of the event to receive sufficient appreciation. Popular culture has succeeded in replacing the underworld in terms of providing influential costumes for the event. The aspect of individuals from different races increasingly dominating pop culture is causing costume lovers to face a number of issues. The most dominant question has always been whether it is ethical to dress or appear dressed up like someone from a different race during Halloween. This factor largely bases on the costume an individual chooses, and the manner he or she ends up presenting the costume. It also depends on what the individual wearing the costume is representing or duplicating during the event. In view of all the complexities involved in choosing an appropriate dress code, it remains imperative to display keenness while settling on certain attire. Observing one’s dress code prevents an individual from making a racial gaffe that may occur when the person wears attire that derogates another race.
Gothic elements are used to show suspense, symbolism, and drama, while also setting dark and twisted tones about the story and its characters. In the passage "The Fall of the House of Usher" the author uses Gothic elements to entice the reader with details of ominous character persona and setting.
The term ‘Gothic’ conjures a range of possible meanings, definitions and associations. It explicitly denotes certain historical and cultural phenomena. Gothicism was part of the Romantic Movement that started in the eighteenth century and lasted about three decades into the nineteenth century. For this essay, the definition of Gothic that is applicable is: An 18th century literary style characterized by gloom and the supernatural. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a wide range of issues are explored. Frankenstein represents an entirely new vision of the female Gothic, along with many other traditional themes such as religion, science, colonialism and myth.
Gothic literature was developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth century of the Gothic era when war and controversy was too common. It received its name after the Gothic architecture that was becoming a popular trend in the construction of buildings. As the buildings of daunting castles and labyrinths began, so did the beginning foundation of Gothic literature. The construction of these buildings will later become an obsession with Gothic authors. For about 300 years before the Renaissance period, the construction of these castles and labyrinths continued, not only in England, but also in Gothic stories (Landau 2014). Many wars and controversies, such as the Industrial Revolution and Revolutionary War, were happening at this time, causing the Gothic literature to thrive (“Gothic Literature” 2011). People were looking for an escape from the real world and the thrill that Gothic literature offered was exactly what they needed. Gothic literature focuses on the horrors and the dark sides to the human brain, such as in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein. Gothic literature today, as well as in the past, has been able to separate itself apart from other types of literature with its unique literary devices used to create fear and terror within the reader.
Gothic Literature was a genre of writing created in the 1780's in order to give form to the impulses and fears of all mankind. It relied heavily upon the ideas of good and evil, and every emotion was symbolically externalized, either by nature, physical appearance, or crime, in order to establish a physical structure for the term evil. By the 19th century Romanticism began to appear, and slowly but dramatically changed Gothic literature forever.
For the heart of the matter is theological, a category that does not often appear in American public discourse. Instead, we hear talk about psychology, community, exclusion - the narrow, modern litany of cause and effect. David Mandel, a psychologist who has studied the Goth subculture - one of the causes being invoked - wrote last year, "It is not sinister, but tongue in cheek." And he continued: "People who are really into it use it to construct meaning in their lives. . . . They really find beauty in the dark things much the way others find beauty in bright, happy things" (Mandel...
Camille, Michael. Gothic Art: Glorious Visions. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Prentice Hall, 1996. 12. Print.
Obesity is not a disease. It is a condition where our body stores excessive fat and affects our health or well-being. Childhood obesity is a major cause for disease and health risks which may be lifelong. Childhood obesity is becoming a threat to society because of its prevalence. Obesity reduces life expectancy. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States. The number of obese children has increased and doubled within two decades. (Helping your overweight child." Pamphlet by: National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, 1997, p. 2+.) The childhood obesity epidemic requires more prevention focused on the first five years of a child’s
The The word ‘Goth’ is originally from a German tribe and has come to mean. ‘barbarian’ and later known as ‘Gothic’. In Gothic Literature certain features are expected to be added. These are supernatural events, have villains. and hero characters, strange weather, horror, mystery and death.
The late seventies and early eighties saw the beginning emergence of the Goth subculture: a group of social misfits that appear to always find themselves on the outskirts of mainstream pop culture. It is a complex subculture with great depth and beauty where many of its citizens share a profound connection with the darker aesthetic, are predisposed to depression, and are often willing to explore interpersonal and sexual relationships with little inhibition or regard for societal norms.
In what follows, my research paper will rely on an article by Kathy Prendergast entitled “Introduction to The Gothic Tradition”. The significance of this article resides in helping to recapitulate the various features of the Gothic tradition. In this article the authoress argues that in order to overturn the Enlightenment and realistic literary mores, many of the eighteenth century novelists had recourse to traditional Romantic conventions in their works of fiction, like the Arthurian legendary tales (Prendergast).
American Gothic stories also wrote about the supernatural such as ghosts, monsters, women in distress,
Southern Gothic literature is a group of words bonded together to set a mood, message, plot, etc. Overall Southern Gothic Literature can be interesting and creepy at the same time, its style has been practiced for many years by southern writers which are located in the American South. Its popular writings have grew from generation to generation and is now a world wide genre. Works Cited Alice, Petry. A Rose for Emily.’
Many associate psychology with sitting in a chair in a small office as someone taking notes, asking how you feel about a certain event or feeling, analyzing your deepest secrets and memories. However, it branches off into many other fields. A clinical psychologist’s main job is “to reduce the distress and improve the psychological wellbeing of clients” (Bond). This can include anything from depression, eating disorders, and addiction, to mental illness, family and personal relationships, and learning disabilities (Bond). A clinical psychologist usually will choose to have an emphasis in a certain field such as children and learning disabilities and work in schools or social work facilities, or mental illness and work in a hospital (Bond). According to Vicki Cohen, people “typically are referred or come to therapy because they have a symptom”. These are defined by emotional, social, and or physiological.