What Is Gothic?

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - What Is Gothic - Episode 373 - the first of a extended series of podcasts - at least 10 podcasts under the general subject title of Poe and Gothic literature.

This podcast episode begins with a few bars of  “Come Rest in this Bosom.”  Very calm, peaceful, and relaxing - and a medley that one of Edgar Poe’s  beaus said was his favorite.  You might say that such a relaxing melody is all the things that Gothic is not.  And that leads me to one of the subjects of the next few episodes - What does Gothic mean?

Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Poe.

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - What Is Gothic - Episode 373 - the first of a extended series of podcasts - at least 10 podcasts under the general subject title of Poe and Gothic literature.

This podcast episode begins with a few bars of  “Come Rest in this Bosom.”  Very calm, peaceful, and relaxing - and a medley that one of Edgar Poe’s  beaus said was his favorite.  You might say that such a relaxing melody is all the things that Gothic is not.  And that leads me to one of the subjects of the next few episodes - What does Gothic mean?

But first, I’d like to make a confession - I have been producing Celebrate Poe for almost 375 episodes   now, and I don’t think I have specifically delved into what style of literature Poe used - maybe, I should say what style of literature his writing IS - because Poe’s works are not just of the past, but will live forever - but I digress …Oh, before I forget - Poe’s style was Gothic.  By the way, the ghost of Mr. Poe is scheduled to be here soon..

But while we are waiting, I wanted to mention that when I first started working at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, I thought I was really into Poe and his works - but the word Gothic was on my mind when it came to reflecting on Poe about as much as the word mustard - in other words, not at all.  But over the years, I have come to realize how important the concept of Gothic literature is to Poe’s works.  So in this episode, I want to review exactly what Gothic literature is, and how it influenced Poe’s thought process, and that the concepts of Gothic literature are central to understanding Edgar Allan Poe.

Now The term "Gothic" has multiple meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. 

Gothic originally referred to the Goths, a Germanic tribe that played a significant role in the fall of the Roman Empire. It can describe their language, culture, or people.

Gothic architecture refers to a style that developed in Western Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries. It is characterized by features such as pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and large stained-glass windows. This style was often used in cathedrals and churches, such as Notre Dame in Paris.

Gothic Art is a medieval art style that paralleled Gothic architecture and often depicted religious themes.

Just for your information, Gothic Script refers to A style of writing or typeface used during the medieval period, often ornate and heavy. In modern contexts, it can also refer to sans-serif typefaces.

And of course, there is the goth subculture - A contemporary movement inspired by Gothic fiction and aesthetics, It includes dark fashion (e.g., black clothing, Victorian-inspired styles), music (like Gothic rock), and an interest in themes of mystery and melancholy.

Historically, "Gothic" was sometimes used pejoratively to describe something barbarous or unrefined, as opposed to classical styles.

Now the Gothic language was actually a language - an East Germanic tongue spoken by the Goths, preserved primarily through 4th-century sources.

So "Gothic" can refer to a historical group of people, an architectural style, its various meanings have evolved significantly over time but usually retain connections to themes of mystery, darkness, or medieval heritage.

Gothic Fiction - NOW we’re getting into literature -refers to a literary genre that emerged in the 18th century, characterized by mysterious, grotesque, or supernatural elements set in dark or decayed environments. Notable examples include works by Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) and of course, Edgar Allan Poe.  And not surprisingly, that definition of Gothic is the one that this podcast examines.

Gothic literature stands apart from other genres due to its unique blend of dark, atmospheric settings, psychological depth, and exploration of human fears and the supernatural. 

Gothic literature is renowned for its eerie and foreboding settings, such as decaying castles, haunted mansions, crypts, or isolated landscapes. These settings often symbolize decay, both physical and moral, and contribute to an oppressive atmosphere of suspense and dread. This contrasts with other genres like Romanticism, which may focus on idyllic or sublime natural landscapes, or realism, which emphasizes ordinary environments.

As I understand it, Gothic literature is a genre that emerged in 1764 with the publication of The Castle of Otranto -  blending elements of horror, romance, and mystery to evoke intense emotional responses such as fear, awe, and wonder. Gothic literature draws its name and aesthetic inspiration from Gothic architecture, characterized by medieval castles, ruins, and other foreboding settings that often serve as the backdrop for its stories. Gothic literature explores themes of the supernatural, psychological torment, and the darker aspects of human nature.

Gothic stories create a sense of tension and unease through mysterious events, unexplained phenomena, or ominous settings. The atmosphere is often eerie and claustrophobic, heightening readers' emotional engagement.

The action typically takes place in isolated or decaying locations such as castles, monasteries, mansions, or graveyards. These settings often symbolize decay—both physical and moral—and mirror the characters' inner turmoil.

Ghosts, vampires, curses, or inexplicable occurrences are common features. These elements may serve as metaphors for psychological or societal conflicts.

Excuse me, the ghost of Mr. Poe should be here soon.  I hope

Well - ah - Gothic fiction delves into the darker aspects of humanity, such as death, madness, sin, and the uncanny. It often incorporates supernatural elements like ghosts, curses, or demonic forces to evoke fear and mystery
Unlike horror—which aims to shock or repulse—Gothic literature uses the supernatural subtly to create terror (a feeling of suspenseful dread) rather than outright horror (a visceral reaction to something gruesome). 
Gothic literature frequently grapples with mortality, ruin, and the passage of time. The decaying settings often parallel characters' mental or emotional deterioration.

Characters are often portrayed experiencing heightened emotions such as terror, sorrow, or passion. Tmy melodramatic style emphasizes the intensity of their struggles.

Stories frequently explore themes of power and powerlessness, with characters trapped physically or metaphorically in oppressive situations. Women in distress and tyrannical male figures are recurring motifs.
Gothic literature delves into the tension between the familiar and the strange—what Freud later termed "the uncanny.”

Many Gothic tales incorporate tragic love stories or forbidden romances that heighten the emotional stakes while intertwining beauty with the grotesque. 

The genre has definitely influenced modern horror and speculative fiction while spawning subgenres like Southern Gothic in the United States.

GHOST SOUND

I think I hear the ghost of Mr. Poe coming - exactly who we need - he is just the person - or ghost - who can read the Gothic works that I have here best.  I can’t imagine anyone whose works are so full of Gothic themes and elements.  And, Mr. Poe, when it comes to knowledge of your works, I don’t know anyone who knows the words and understands the language better. 
And I didn’t think you would ever get here.

But Mr. Poe - may I ask you - when would you say that you started using Gothic themes in your work.

Ah, Mr. Bartley, Edgar Allan - please excuse me - I began incorporating Gothic themes into my work in the early 1830s, with a significant shift toward the genre by 1835. My early writings may have included burlesques of Gothic stories, but I would like to think that I soon adopted the Gothic mode more seriously, blending its elements with a more personal psychological depth and narrative style.  And Mr. Bartley, I believe that my first major foray into Gothic literature that gained widespread attention was through my macabre tales published in the Southern Literary Messenger in 1835. Critics at the time noted my use of "Germanism," a term synonymous with Gothicism. 

Around the time, I wrote a short horror story called Berenice. 

The story is narrated by Egaeus, who is preparing to marry his cousin Berenice. He tends to fall into periods of intense focus, during which he seems to separate himself from the outside world. Berenice begins to deteriorate from an unnamed disease until only her teeth remain healthy. Egaeus obsesses over them. When Berenice is buried, he continues to contemplate her teeth. One day, he awakens with an uneasy feeling from a trance-like state and hears screams. A servant reports that Berenice's grave has been disturbed, and she is still alive. Beside Egaeus is a shovel, a poem about "visiting the grave of my beloved", and a box containing 32 teeth.

The story ends with the following sentences:

On the table beside me burned a lamp, and near it lay a little box. It was of no remarkable character, and I had seen it frequently before, for it was the property of the family physician; but how came it there, upon my table, and why did I shudder in regarding it? These things were in no manner to be accounted for, and my eyes at length. Why then, as I perused them, did the hairs of my head erect themselves on end, and the blood of my body become congealed within my veins?

There came a light tap at the library door, and pale as the tenant of a tomb, a menial entered upon tiptoe. His looks were wild with terror, and he spoke to me in a voice tremulous, husky, and very low. What said he? --some broken sentences I heard. He told of a wild cry disturbing the silence of the night --of the gathering together of the household-of a search in the direction of the sound; --and then his tones grew thrillingly distinct as he whispered me of a violated grave --of a disfigured body enshrouded, yet still breathing, still palpitating, still alive!

He pointed to garments;-they were muddy and clotted with gore. I spoke not, and he took me gently by the hand; --it was indented with the impress of human nails. He directed my attention to some object against the wall; --I looked at it for some minutes; --it was a spade. With a shriek I bounded to the table, and grasped the box that lay upon it. But I could not force it open; and in my tremor it slipped from my hands, and fell heavily, and burst into pieces; and from it, with a rattling sound, there rolled out some instruments of dental surgery, intermingled with thirty-two small, white and ivory-looking substances that were scattered to and fro about the floor.

Sounds to me like the narrator is fixated on the deceased lady’s teeth.

Yes, Mr Bartley - that was my intention - tho many readers of the period found the text too intense!

By 1839, I would like to think that I had firmly established himself as a master of Gothic horror with stories such as The Fall of the House of Usher, which is often cited as a quintessential example of his Gothic storytelling. This story, along with others such as Ligeia and The Black Cat, showcased my use of decaying settings, psychological torment, supernatural elements, and themes of death and madness—hallmarks of the Gothic tradition.
Mr. Poe - when did you first become interested in Gothic themes.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - my fascination with Gothic themes likely stemmed from ny early exposure to Gothic architecture and literature during my formative years in London, as well as my personal struggles with loss and despair. These experiences deeply influenced his ability to evoke terror and explore the darker aspects of human nature in his works.

Mr. Poe - I was hoping that you might favor us with your poem, Spirits of the Dead.

Mr. Bartley, An excellent choice.

Spirits of the Dead
Thy soul shall find itself alone
’Mid dark thoughts of the gray tombstone—
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.

Be silent in that solitude,
   Which is not loneliness—for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
   In life before thee are again
In death around thee—and their will
Shall overshadow thee: be still.

The night, tho’ clear, shall frown—
And the stars shall look not down
From their high thrones in the heaven,
With light like Hope to mortals given—
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne’er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more—like dew-drop from the grass.

The breeze—the breath of God—is still—
And the mist upon the hill,
Shadowy—shadowy—yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token—
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!

Now Mr. Poe, as I understand it, Gothic works frequently explore the psychological struggles of characters, including madness, guilt, and moral ambiguity. This introspective focus distinguishes Gothic literature from more action-driven genres like adventure or science fiction. For instance, characters in Gothic novels often face internal conflicts that mirror the external chaos around them.

Yes, Mr. Bartley - and I do like to consider myself a master of Gothic literature - describing the Gothic style as a powerful aesthetic and conceptual framework that blends beauty with terror, exploring the depths of human psychology and the supernatural. My works exemplify key elements of the Gothic tradition, such as gloomy and isolated settings, psychological horror, and an atmosphere of dread and mystery. 

My writings are deeply rooted in Gothic literature, and many of my themes align with the genre's defining characteristics. 

Yes, Mr. Poe - I am somewhat embarrassed, but looking at your works from a Gothic standpoint - so to speak -  is something that was completely new to me, and Mr. Poe, now I look at your works in an entirely way.

Mr. Bartley, I trust that is a positive development.

Oh, yes, Mr. Poe - I am ashamed to admit that when I attended high school - and even college - I seemed to see you as an isolated writer - unique and talented - but not that connected to other literary giants.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - I do appreciate the fact that you viewed me as unique now, but my works are also the product of hundreds of literary masters - famous and not so famous - who went before me - and many of those composed gothic works - and then of course, I felt it important to incorporate - to an extent - my personal life experiences.

Very well said, Mr. Poe.  But before we delve into your stories, I would like to examine your background to a deeper extent.

That might be a very useful approach - please ask your questions.

Mr. Poe - let’s begin with one area that is often not examined enough - or just glossed over - the extent to which you were influenced by the fact that your parents were traveling actors.

Ah yes, Mr. Bartley, I believe that I was greatly influenced by the fact that my mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe and my father David Poe Jr. profoundly influenced my literary style and thematic focus. Yes, their profession as traveling actors left an indelible mark on my imagination and creative instincts.  Their profession exposed me to the world of performance, storytelling, and dramatic expression from an early age. Although my father abandoned the family and my mother died of tuberculosis when I was just three years old, the theatrical environment in which I was born left an indelible mark on my imagination and creative instincts. 

A most interesting point, Mr. Poe.

Ah, Mr. Bartley, growing up in a family of actors likely influenced my ability to craft vivid, dramatic narratives. My works often exhibit a heightened sense of theatricality, with intense emotional stakes and carefully constructed atmospheres. And my dramatic flair is evident in such stories as The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart, which rely on suspense, psychological tension, and climactic revelations to captivate readers.   Note the suspense expressed in this passage from The Tell-Tale Heart -   

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little --a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it --you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily --until, at length a single dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye.

    It was open --wide, wide open --and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness --all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

    And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.
Yes, Mr. Poe - I can almost FEEL the suspense.

And my childhood was also marked by abandonment and loss. The instability of my early childhood—marked by my father's abandonment and my mother's death—introduced themes of loss, grief, and longing that permeate much of my writing. These experiences are reflected in the melancholic tone of poems like Annabel Lee and The Raven, where I explored the pain of losing loved ones.

Mr. Poe - do you believe that  your parent’s work as performers possibly influenced your work?

Ah, Mr. Bartley - most definitely - the theatrical world likely fostered my interest in creating vivid and immersive settings. My parents' work as performers may have also inspired my ability to craft characters who are larger-than-life yet deeply human, often grappling with madness or moral ambiguity.

Mr. Poe - you certainly can be dramatic.

Mr. Bartley - I will take that as a compliment.

Mr. Poe - it was certainly meant as such.  Now I am afraid that this must be  the end of this episode - but we will certainly contain in the vein.

Join Celebrate Poe for Episode 374 - Pushing the Boundaries - where the ghost of Mr. Poe and I - talk about how the author surpassed the boundaries of Gothic Fiction.

Sources include: Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe, The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Dwight R. Thomas and David K. Jackson, the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak, Evermore by Harry Lee Poe, and the online site of the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. 

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