Essay: Gothic themes or elements in literature

The gothic theme or element in literature was mainly to instil or arouse one of humanity’s ancient feelings: fear. English gothic fiction blossomed between the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Novelists who ventured into the gothic writing of literature would aim to create a thrill in the mind of their readers presenting situations where horrid events interfered with the characters’ lives. The gothic was originally a reaction against the dominant mode of writing and thinking; it was revolutionary and a challenge to accepted order. It acted as a social critique and a way to raise questions about systems of authority in wider society.
Every literary movement and genre evolves over time and nineteenth century writers of gothic literature expressed a unique form in romanticism. The Gothic is not simply about provoking fear in the reader; it was more about creating an extreme reaction of any kind via melodrama, horror and the supernatural. The Gothic arises from the sublime; it emphasises extreme environments, the innate vulnerability of the individual to forces beyond their control or understanding. But the sublime also lends the Gothic an appreciation of awe not just about fear; it is about catharsis and a reimagining of humanity’s place in the world.
In ‘A Companion to America Gothic;’ ‘Origins of American Gothic,’ it is argued that slavery along with imperialism and revolution served as a core cultural context for the gothic. Doyle discusses that the Atlantic gothic’s particular obsession with power and its anxiety over dispossession. Similarly, Toni Morrison contends that the spectre of slavery haunts American gothic. For Doyle and Morrison Anglo American gothic tradition rooted in slavery reveals the racialized construction of freedom in the Atlantic world. If we are to consider some nineteenth century gothic films and texts in literature that connects with Morrison and Doyle; Charles Chestnut “Po’Sandy” is a perfect example. Chestnut’s short story displays a dominance of slave narratives and white convention. “Po’ Sandy” is engulfed with gothic conventions and devices like suffering, slavery, witchcraft, symbolism, folk tales and allusions. Racial gothic where slavery and its aftermath as inherently suited to gothic imagery and narrative. Chesnutt was popularly known for his critiques of the social and racial power structures that existed in the antebellum and Reconstruction eras of our country’s history, “Po’ Sandy”; which did all that as well cleverly placed that message within the milieu of a tale of two slaves whose love for each other was doomed forever by the brutal realities of American-styled slavery, voodoo spells and conjuring. According to Kathleen Hudson she concludes that at its core, “Po’ Sandy” can be read as a pseudo-haunted house story, where the sins of the patriarchal, aristocratic group create a space for recurring tension.  This story is distinctly American Gothic, however, in that it epitomizes tensions about undermined progress, the untamed wilderness, and the unstable senses which feed specifically American fears.
In addition, Edgar Allan Poe ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ uses the atmosphere to convey ideas, effects and images. Poe establishes a mood and foreshadows future events and communicates with the reader truths about the character through atmosphere. The gothic element is portrayed in the characters as well for example Madeline is buried alive striving to come back from the tomb. Poe includes aesthetic function of Gothicism and creates a sensation of claustrophobia. Poe’s gothic fictions, horror and ugliness grasp our aesthetical vision and he achieves the aesthetical functions of sublimation and purification of human morality and spirit. The gothic features entailed in this story includes the haunted house, dreary landscape, mysterious sickness and doubled personality.
Contemporary gothic is now associated with ‘High Victorian’ culture. For contemporary readers and viewers, the Gothic is now often distanced from its original impulses and elements, and is a convention rather than a challenge to accepted culture. Gothic is now synonymous with the ghost story, such as the work of M.R. James. The ghost story is far simpler than the earlier gothic narratives, intended to scare rather than anything else. Also, the ghost story rarely challenges accepted authorities or social orders. It is more a ‘safe’ form of entertainment whereby the audience enjoys being scared in a predictable or formulaic way, whereas earlier Gothic narratives were innovative and wholly unpredictable for their readership.
Twentieth and Twenty first century gothic novels and films include “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman, ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern and ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’. These gothic novels and films are examples of contemporary gothic literature that has changed from that of challenging accepted authorities or social orders. “The Night Circus” will transport you into a magical world of the mysterious black and white circus filled with dreamlike, wondrous exhibits, fortune tellers and real life enchanters. Furthermore, in ‘The Graveyard Book’ they talk and act like they’re from the 1800s, or the 1600s, or even longer ago. But little hints let us know we’re still in the 21st century: Scarlett talks about cell phones, and schoolyard bullies take videos of their victims. ‘The Exorcist of Emily Rose’ a perfect blend of horror film and courtroom drama, the horror plays out primarily in flashbacks, but the tension builds within them. Meanwhile, the courtroom drama raises questions that will linger with the audience long after the film has ended. These three examples suggest that gothic elements of today have changed over time but still contain features of the eighteenth and nineteenth century gothic literature.