Tired of wearing the same costumes as everyone else? Why not show off your literary knowledge and find something unique by plumbing the depths of Gothic literature! Of course, Count Draculas and Frankenstein’s monsters are common enough costumes, though usually based more on the film adaptations than their source texts. But there are plenty of other monsters, apparitions, and dramatic characters to be found within the genre. Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with: Continue reading Unique Halloween Costumes Inspired by Gothic Literature
Tag: The Monk
Gothic Tropes: The Cursed Wanderer
“I pass, like night, from land to land…” I mentioned the cursed wanderer in my recent post on Nautical Gothic, so I wanted to examine the concept here in a bit more detail. This is a character archetype that finds its way into many Gothic works both new and classic, either in the form of a villain, a tragic side character, or an antihero. The cursed wanderer is an outcast from society, usually immortal or otherwise supernatural, and never establishes roots but rather is compelled to wander from place to place as the consequence for some past sin. Continue reading Gothic Tropes: The Cursed Wanderer
Gothic Tropes: The Faustian Bargain
We all know never to make a deal with the devil right? The concept of engaging in trades or bargains with demonic figures has been a common motif in folklore around the world for centuries, but this particular iteration—the Faustian bargain—derives its name from the Germanic folk legend of Doctor Faust. These legends spring from a real historical figure, a sixteenth-century itinerant alchemist and astrologer named Johann Faust, whose larger-than-life reputation led to rumors that he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for great knowledge and magical abilities. The legend of Doctor Faust has been directly adapted into works of literature many times, but we also see similar bargains being struck by other characters throughout Gothic literature.
Gothic Settings: Abbeys and Monasteries
I’ve discussed before on this blog how the Gothic literary genre takes its name from the Gothic style of architecture. Appropriately, the medieval structures that typify this architectural style are often used as the backdrop to Gothic stories. The obvious example, and the very first structure I discussed in this series on Gothic settings, is the castle. But another place we see Gothic architecture from the Middle Ages is in religious buildings, such as monasteries and abbeys.
Gothic Tropes: Corrupted Clergy
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned”—But what if the one who is supposed to absolve you is even more guilty? This is an idea explored in quite some depth and from a variety of angles throughout Gothic literature. The Gothic has had a very complicated relationship with religion, and Christianity in particular, from its earliest days. Sincere religious belief is often a virtue of the best Gothic heroes and heroines. But some of the genre’s most debased villains are those who wear the cloth of the Church. Early Gothic novels were highly critical of the horrors committed in the name of religion during the Spanish Inquisition, and these works also reflect Protestant and Anglican fears around Catholicism. But even the most obvious anti-Catholic caricatures were often a bit more nuanced, as many authors relied on the acceptable depiction of evil Catholic clergy to more subtly critique the overreach of religious authorities within their own communities. And no sect is safe! You’ll find dangers in any denomination in later works of Gothic literature. Let’s take a look at how corrupted clergymen (and a few women!) have crept through these novels.
Gothic Tropes: The Naif
Every evil plot needs an innocent victim.… The naïf is one of the core stock characters in Gothic literature. From the same French root as “naive,” the naïf is someone who exemplifies innocence and has not yet been corrupted or made cynical by their encounters with the outside world. This character serves as a foil to innate evil and is usually the main victim of the story’s monster or villain. In Gothic fiction, the naïf is generally a young woman, sometimes an adolescent, who has lived a sheltered life and is suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar and dangerous environment. Because of her lack of experience, the naïf tends to underestimate evil and often trusts the wrong people. The more passive incarnations of this character resemble the stereotypical “damsel in distress,” and need to be rescued by a gallant hero. But sometimes when the naïf loses her innocence, she gains experience and agency. Continue reading Gothic Tropes: The Naif
Iconic Ghosts from Gothic Literature
As Halloween approaches, the veil between this word and the next grows thinner and, according to legend, the spirits of the dead can more easily come into contact with the living. These days, we tend to focus less on communing with our dead ancestors and more on dressing in costume, watching horror films, and telling ghost stories. But either way, we’ve still got ghosts on the brain. And what better way to celebrate ghosts than by seeking out some shining examples from Gothic literature? For the purposes of this post, I’ve limited myself to only ghosts that are fairly unambiguous supernatural apparitions of dead humans, though the Gothic genre contains a multitude of spirits that range from literal to metaphoric or imagined to everything in between. Below are five of the most memorable ghosts that appear in Gothic literature: Continue reading Iconic Ghosts from Gothic Literature
Romance in Gothic Fiction
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’ve all got a bit of romance on the mind. And what could be more romantic than an entire genre that was originally called “Gothic Romance”? Of course, the term “romance” has meant different things over the course of the genre’s history, and each iteration of the Gothic utilizes romantic elements in different ways. Let’s take a brief look at the role romance has played in Gothic fiction.
Gothic Tropes: Incest
One of the defining features of Gothic literature is that it engages with the taboo—those subjects and behaviors so far outside the accepted norms of society that to even mention or hint at them stirs up fear and anxiety. Exactly what is considered taboo varies from culture to culture and changes over time, but one of the strongest taboos that you’ll find in almost every culture (although often defined differently) is that of incest. Sexual relations between family members are in many places prohibited by law and by religious code, in addition to being against social custom. But perhaps more so than any other crime, incest has the tendency to arouse strong feelings of disgust and discomfort. It is precisely these emotions—along with shock and horror—that writers of Gothic literature have sought to induce by including incest in their fiction. Continue reading Gothic Tropes: Incest
Gothic Tropes: Madness
Madness is the monster that lurks inside our own minds. And in some ways, it is the most terrifying monster of all. Its intangibility means that it cannot be fought, and its irrational nature makes it nearly impossible to understand. Perhaps this is why insanity crops up as one of the most common themes in Gothic literature. I present it in this post as one trope, but madness is explored in many different ways in both the victims and the villains of Gothic literature, and the way it is presented has changed over time. Continue reading Gothic Tropes: Madness