At the mention of the word “Gothicism”, we tend to picture the same thing: creepy castles, spooky characters, haunting moments, etc. Aside from that, Gothic literature explores several themes like family problems, curses, murder, mystery, and psychological problems are recurring themes.
Gothic literature realized on characters for artistic identity. A dashing hero, a heroine, and an antagonist that is an evil force of nature. There was a concept of Enlightenment versus monstrosity: monsters were a result to a neo-classical aesthetic devoted to the notions of conformity. Gothic was moulded by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. The latter was a very violent time that could have contributed to the dark subject matter. The Gothic genre shares traits with romantic literature, such as developing the romance of characters and the growth of them as individuals.
Yes, it is true that several Gothic classics such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus used supernatural elements as forces of evil (the Count) or nature (the unnamed Creature struggling with its birth, sense of self, and neglectful creator). However, these were to explore human themes of life, death, . In Dracula, the themes include repressed sexuality (since sexual aggression, especially that of females, in Victorian England was seen as dangerous), Christian salvation, modern science, superstition, etc. As portrayed in Shelley’s text, the Monster represents the question of what is humanity, the dangers of seeking things men were not meant to know, etc. It is also important to note that the supernatural forces were used in Gothic works as a means of representing the conflicts faced by Man.
Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) is one of the most interesting Gothic novels, because it gives a view into existentialism themes and life and death. The protagonist is a young heroine named Emily St. Albert who is fascinated with nature and life, but she is far from the stereotypical image of a “damsel in distress” that needs to be rescued. In addition, the plot concerns her misfortunes, travels, and conflicts with others who try to weasel her wealth from her. It is interesting that while she falls in love with a young man Valancourt whom might seem to be her rescuer, but as the novel plays out, Emily ends up saving herself. There are no supernatural forces of evil working against her; it is her cold, distant Aunt Cheron, her greedy new uncle Montoni, and her kidnappers. What supernatural elements do appear in the novel are demystified and logically explained by the end of the story.
Overall, Gothicism is not a “horror genre” per say. It is actually full of humanist themes of life, death, love, emotion, etc. The monsters featured in several of these stories represented forces of nature or certain fears that people shared during that time. However, it is fair to say that Gothic elements do exist in the works of modern day writers such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
