Perhaps more so than the other vocabulary words we’ve discussed thus far (the sublime and the uncanny), “grotesque” is a term you’re just as likely to hear thrown about in casual conversation as in academic discourse on Gothic literature. We might use it to describe anything that’s bizarre, incongruous, unnatural, or gross. But where does it come from, and what does it mean in a literary context? Much like the word “Gothic” itself, grotesque has a convoluted and roundabout history that covers a wide range of meanings and takes us back to ancient times. Continue reading Gothic Vocab: The Grotesque
Tag: architecture
Let’s Have Another Gothic Revival in Architecture!
I’ve mentioned in passing how the rise of the neo-Gothic architectural movement was deeply intertwined with the advent of Gothic literature. But the Gothic Revival was more than just a fun aesthetic phase—it was a political, philosophical, and artistic statement. Both Gothic literature and the revival of Gothic architecture emerged as a reaction against neoclassicism and the Enlightenment. Continue reading Let’s Have Another Gothic Revival in Architecture!