What is the Gothic and why is so appealing?

The Gothic originated from the 12th and 16th centuries as a style of medieval architecture that flourished in France. The term Gothic was not used until the Renaissance movement took place from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries. Most prominent in cathedrals and churches, Gothic architecture appealed to the emotions; it promoted a sense of greatness, of the sublime. This style slowly died out until it was revived by the Gothic Revival of the eighteenth century. Its popularity thus rapidly grew throughout the nineteenth century.

Written in 1754, The Castle of Otranto, which is generally thought to be the first Gothic novel, was published by Horace Walpole. Set in an Italian Medieval labyrinth-like castle, the tale is merged with themes of romance, terror and death. Mystery and horror are the prominent features that govern the story. Additionally to the Gothic shadows that lurk its way through the pages, the reader’s imagination is a vital element to the completion of Walpole’s work.

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho and Matthew Lewis’ The Monk followed. Both set in religious settings, these stories tackle themes of the supernatural, entrapment and religion. Gloom is a perpetual element present in these stories.  The first English Gothic story to be written is in 1816. Written by author John Polidori, the novel The Vampyre marks the birth of the vampire genre. During the same year, Mary Shelley published Frankenstein. This innovative tale emphasizes the role of science, and the consequences of man playing with God. It also marks the emergence of the Science Fiction genre.

In 1840, Edgar Allan Poe publishes two short stories, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. Aside from featuring the traditional Gothic genres, these stories also emphasize on psychological terror–the terror of the soul.

With Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights that stresses the exposure of women’s confinement due to male dominance, the Female Gothic genre surfaces.

It is in the last thirty years of the nineteenth century that the number of Gothic works have multiplied. Certain works from this period are widely known today, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Vernon Lee’s Hauntings and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. These tales, overriding science over religion, were met with turmoil back in the days.

On a contemporary level, Ann Rice’s The Chronicles of the Vampire is worth noting down. This novel introduces a new kind of vampire; the seductive, well-liked, charming yet humane ones. Very much different from the “traditional” vampires, Rice’s vampires are broadly found in today’s cultural works such as Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood.

But why is the Gothic so appealing nowadays? Somehow, fear, being the primitive defense that warns us to fight or flee in the face of danger, seems to be more and more pleasurable. The public’s desire to be frightened is manifested everywhere through bookshelves, movie theaters, Netflix shows, the celebration of Halloween itself, etc. The Gothic mode attracts more and more attention and power. It seems like people derive enormous pleasure from experiencing feelings of fear. Those moments of anxiety when a monster appears on screen come to us with promising irrational fears. Maybe it is our awareness about our own safety, as we sit comfortably in the back of our couch with our bag of popcorns. As we distance ourselves from the screen, thus from the horrific settings that are governed by death, we find relief while sharing feelings of compassion with the characters in the story that go through suffering. While irrational fears are acted in front of our eyes, we are put to test for whether we have the ability to deal with them or not. Ultimately, all humans seek the experience of intense emotions. With fear always comes a sense of enlightenment. And with the supernatural, we often find death more explainable and more intriguing.

Sources: http://forreadingaddicts.co.uk/reading/so-what-is-gothic-literature-and-why-are-we-still-obsessed-with-it

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-appeal-of-the-gothic_b_4175007

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