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Beverly Anderson and Donna Fathman
Dr. Joan Kennedy
Engl 2333
17 November 2011
From Twilight to Dawn—The Evolution of Gothic-ism
One could say that the gothic movement, whose imagery of darkness, shadows and death,
owes its beginning to the Catholic Church, and its traction and energy to man’s curiosity,
imagination, and intellect. In the eighteenth century, the Romantic Movement gave individuals
the license to feel, imagine, and question--and the gothic novel was born. The gothic novel is
defined mainly by its setting--dark and sinister. It is oftentimes played out against a background
of gothic architecture and can be seen as a “description of a fallen world,” which is experienced
“through all aspects of the novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme” (Gothic Novel).
In the novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker’s principal character dares to renounce the church that he
had gone to war to defend because he feels betrayed by the church when his wife commits
suicide. Stoker even dares to imagine an alternate reality—coming back from the dead for the
sake of vengeance. Dracula becomes “undead” and spends centuries in this painful existence
searching for the reincarnation of his wife. Dracula, written in 1897, is probably the greatest, if
not the most recognizable, gothic novel of all times (Murray’s Top Ten). The novel’s elements
of anti-Catholicism, romance, death, and immortality took hold in the imaginations of readers
and left them wanting more. In fact, the gothic novel had such traction with the public, that, in
the past two centuries, it actually gathered momentum, expanded into other art forms, such as the
comic book and graphic novels, movies, and television program, and in the 1980’s, exploded into
its own subculture. There is no other literature genre that has had such a profound effect on the
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modern culture as the gothic novel. This phenomenon begs to ask the question, “Why is man so
fascinated with death, darkness, the macabre, and the renunciation of the Church?”
Horace Walpole is credited with writing the first gothic novel. The Castle of Otranto was
published in 1764. In it is found the elements that set the standard for the fledgling genre.
The setting is almost always an abandoned or decaying castle or abbey with secret passages
and tunnels. The architecture of these buildings is generally Gothic, giving the moniker to the
new literary classification. These surroundings evoke a feeling of a place that was once highly
esteemed but is now in ruins. It reflects an image of the outlook of society of that time. The
atmosphere is punctuated by the referral to an ancient prophecy and curse, mentioned in the
second paragraph of the book, by “the Prince’s dread of seeing accomplished an ancient
prophecy, which was said to have pronounced that the castle and lordship of Otranto ‘should
pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it’”
(Walpole 4).
A virginal maiden is a necessary ingredient for the gothic novel. She is prompted by her
curiosity to explore forbidden regions of the castle but has a weak constitution and is given to
fainting spells and is therefore in need of a savior. A hero fills this need and is, of a model, one
who is virtuous, brave, chivalrous, and who undoubtedly has a secret identity that comes to light
at the end of the story. There is the antagonist, the villain, who is the embodiment of evil. He is
a tyrant who forces his desires upon the weak, be it rape, unjust imprisonment, torture, or
murder.
Walpole provides us with two virginal maidens in this story. Isabella is pursued by Manfred
and it is his intention to rape her and to have her for his wife, replacing his present wife
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by whatever means necessary. Matilda is the daughter of Manfred and while not pursued, she is
certainly oppressed. Theodore is the courageous and noble hero who begins the novel in the form
of peasant but is later revealed to be the true prince by a telling birthmark. Manfred quite
obviously fills the requirement for the villain. This first son of the gothic blackguard was
homogenous in comparison to his descendants. “[T]he ominous hero-villain had embodied
aspects of Satan, the fallen archangel in Milton’s Paradise Lost. This satanic strain was
developed by later writers and achieved its apotheosis in the creation of a new and important
cultural phenomenon, the compulsive, grandiose, heaven-and-hell-defying Byronic hero”
(Norton).
The story is rife with the supernatural. Examples include the portrait of Alfonso comes to
life; a giant helmet falls from the sky, killing Manfred’s only heir; Lord Alfonso’s suit of armor
magically lifts into the air and goes heavenward. In a tone of God’s wrath serving justice,
lightning strikes the castle and destroys part of it.
As an encore in response to this novel, a flood of authors from around the globe set their pen
to paper and opened the gates to the tide. In ridicule, Jane Austen wrote a parody of the gothic
novel in Northanger Abbey in 1798 – 1799, which was published in 1818. “The excesses,
stereotypes, and frequent absurdities of the traditional Gothic made it rich territory for satire”
(Skarda 178). Austen is careful to include numerous gothic elements to magnify what she finds
contemptible. These features are brought into the story, not as reality, but in the imagination of
an overly Radcliffian mind. Austen creates a female character antitypical to literary Gothic form
and causes the reader to view her as either on the verge of mental illness or as the silliest creature
on earth. Catherine is portrayed as a young girl who is ugly, boring, and fails to capture the
attention of men. The setting is not in a Gothic castle with secret passageways and dungeons but
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in a thoroughly modern home. Catherine’s disappointment is evident upon her arrival at
Northanger Abbey when the property comes into view.
…every bend in the road was expected with solemn awe to afford a glimpse of its massy
walls of grey stone, rising amidst a grove of ancient oaks, with the last beams of the sun
playing in beautiful splendor of its high Gothic windows. But so low did the building
stand, that she found herself passing through the great gates of the lodge into the very
grounds of Northanger, without having discerned even an antique chimney. (Austen 110)
Ann Radcliffe’s works of The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian and other writer’s
creations are mentioned by name in a conversation between characters encouraging each other to
read gothic novels.
In the summer of 1818 Mary Shelley created a new monster. Frankenstein is considered not
only gothic, but is the first science fiction novel written. The work is infused with some
elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic Movement and is also considered to be one of the
earliest examples of science fiction. Brian Aldiss argues that it should be considered the first
true science fiction story, because unlike in previous stories with fantastical elements resembling
those of later science fiction, the central character "makes a deliberate decision" and "turns to
modern experiments in the laboratory" to achieve fantastic results.[1]…It has had a considerable
influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror
stories
and films.
Other elements include body-snatching (grave robbing) and nightmares. But the most
significant element is the blend of romance and terror. The irresistible dish of terror served up in
this story calls to readers worldwide and throughout the ages since its ingredients first came
together in a recipe of scientific horror.
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Shelley follows the guidelines for writing a gothic novel. A “ghost story” is the challenge
issued to her but in keeping with the trend of the times she chooses to write in the prescribed
manner so as to appeal to the masses who insisted upon the Gothic form. Shelley makes use of
some gothic elements of the gothic novel, such as the gothic settings, an emphasis on the
macabre and morbid and a sense of a curse. As well, in the character of Frankenstein, we see
something reminiscent of another common gothic element, l'homme fatal, a figure first
developed by the author Ann Radcliff. L'homme fatal is a "mysterious and solitary [character],
torturing others because himself tortured by unspeakable guilt, who, though a villain, usurps the
place of the hero in the reader's interest" (Abrams 17).
By the early twentieth century, the gothic novel had already become a significant
international genre. The gothic movement was looking for its next leap. The ingredients and
formulae for the gothic work were already established. New vehicles were needed in which to
tell its stories.
In the 1927 critically acclaimed Broadway play, Dracula, Bela Lugosi wowed his audience,
and went on to represent the face of Dracula in the 1931 Universal film production of Bram
Stoker’s Dracula (IMDB). The film production was the first of its kind, and Bela Lugosi
became the iconic voice and face of Dracula—both of which are still indelible in the public’s
mind. This was just the beginning of the gothic movie, which has evolved into the ever so
popular horror movies of today. Cult classics include the Dawn of the Dead and Night of the
Living Dead movie series written and directed by George Romero. Although not about
vampires, the series is about zombies, a classic gothic theme dealing with the undead. Romance,
an all- time favorite theme in gothic novels, manifested itself in the box office hit movie series,
Twilight. Other gothic elements such as science experiments gone awry, ghosts, possession, and
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werewolves were also articulated in the movie industry. The fact that The Fly was originally
produced in 1958 and remade in 1986 is testimony to the fascination with the idea of a human
being caught in the maelstrom of a scientific experiment (IMDB). Poltergeist and The Exorcist
are probably the most known movies about ghosts and possession, and today are considered
classic “scary movies.” Shape changing and werewolves have long been favorites at the movies,
and in 2010, Joe Johnston directed Benicio del Toro as The Wolfman, a remake of the 1941
version (IMDB).
The gothic film genre gathered so much momentum that it spilled over into the living rooms
of television viewers. With romance at the heart of the story, Dark Shadows, the gothic soap
opera, made its debut in 1966 (Dark Shadows Journal). This was revolutionary and was a far
cry from the mostly benign television soap operas of the decade. The gothic appeal in the living
room continued and expanded its audience to the entire family in the form of comedies such as
The Addams Family and the Munsters, also in the 1960’s. It is important to note that, so popular
were these gothic works, that one will notice a pattern of gothic works recycling into one or more
of the entertainment vehicles such as novels, short stories, movies, and television series. The
most current example can be seen in the Twilight series that started out as installations of novels,
and evolved into the film industry—both on the big screen and as a series on television.
A trend that has occurred within the past fifteen years, and is enjoying mass approval with
audiences, is the comic book on film. An examination of the comic book, itself, as a genre of
literature, will reveal that the gothic elements are prevalent in many of the story lines. The Castle
of Otranto set a precedent for the hero whose identity is not revealed until the end of the work.
This is probably the most important and recognizable element in gothic comic book or graphic
novel story lines.
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An interesting case study is that of Batman, which was created in 1939. At its inception it
was a huge success, but during the 1960’s, the interest in Batman began to fade, and not until
Frank Miller reintroduced Batman as the Dark Knight in 1986 did Batman become bigger than
he ever was. One can see Frank Miller’s version of the Dark Knight in the 2008 film---a classic
gothic ambience of darkness and shadows—Gotham City (Batman). This is the Batman
atmosphere that breathed life back into the Batman franchise---a testimony to the audience’s
appetite for the gothic.
Darkman and Spiderman have a broad audience and centers on the gothic theme of the
science experiment gone awry. Scary, though, is Spawn, a Faustian character, who went to hell
after he died to make a deal with the demon Maelbolgia to see his wife one last time. The Crow,
similarly, dies, and is revived, and wanders the earth with the sole purpose of avenging his wife’s
death. Wolverine, the most popular of the X-men, entertains his audience as a shape changer.
One will note, when reading these comic books, the gothic atmosphere that pervades its pages--darkness and a fallen world.
In the 1980’s, a new genre of rock music emerged---gothic rock. Included in the list of bands
in the gothic rock scenes were, The Damned, Southern Death Cult, 45 Grave, UK Decay,
Christian Death, and Dead Can Dance. As gothic rock gained international momentum, the Goth
subculture was born. Rooted in England, it quickly made its way to other countries, including, of
course, the United States. It has survived the turn of the century and has crossed the threshold of
the twenty-first century. The gothic subculture is defined by its look and its style in music,
literature, art, and fashion, much of which mirrors the dark settings of gothic novels. From these
tastes, gothic fashion emerges as a “dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of
dress” (Gothic Fashion). Black is worn on the eyelids, lips, and nails—hair is dyed jet black. It
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is even said that, “The origins of contemporary Goth style are found in the Victorian cult of
mourning” (Gothic Fashion).
From The Castle of Otranto in the eighteenth century, Dracula in the nineteenth century,
Batman in the twentieth century, and Twilight in the twenty-first century, man’s fascination with
all that is gothic continues to push forward and imbeds itself in the flourishing subculture. It is a
mystery as to why the dark, evil, and macabre hold such fascination for man, that he would wish
to know what it is like to die, to live in darkness, or to renounce the church and be thrown to the
devil to make a deal. Perhaps Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), in the early years of the gothic
movement, understood this fascination when he wrote in The Flowers of Evil:
It’s BOREDOM. Tears have glued its eyes together.
You know it well, my Reader. This obscene
Beast chain-smokes yawning for the guillotine--You—hypocrite Reader---my double---my brother! (37-40)
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Works Cited
Abrams, M. H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 5th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton,
1987. 17. Print.
Abrams, M. H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: Norton, 1987. Print.
Albert, Aaron. "Batman." About.com: Need. Know. Accomplish. About.com Comic Books. Web.
6 Nov. 2011. <http://About.com>.
Austen, Jane, and Marilyn Butler. Northanger Abbey. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.
Baudelaire, Charles. "The Flowers of Evil." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. By Sarah
N. Lawall and Maynard Mack. Second ed. Vol. E. New York: Norton, 2002. 1384-385.
Print.
"Dark Shadows." Dark Shadows Journal Online. Web. 06 Nov. 2011.
"The Fly." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
"Gothic Fashion." Wikipedia. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
"The Gothic Novel." Welcome to UC Davis. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.
Gunn, James E., and Matthew Candelaria. "On the Origin of Species: Mary Shelley."
Speculations on Speculation: Theories of Science Fiction. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow,
2005. Print.
"IMDb - Bela Lugosi." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
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Murray, Paul. "Paul Murray's Top 10 Gothic Novels | Books | Guardian.co.uk."
Www.guardian.co.uk. The Guardian. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.
Sullivan, Jack. "Gothic Parodies." The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural.
New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Viking, 1986. 178-79. Print.
Walpole, Horace, and Michael Gamer. The Castle of Otranto. London: Penguin, 2001. 4. Print.
"Wolfman." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 6 Nov. 2011.