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Janelle Pinskey Matson
Professor Benander
Gothic Literature
25 April 2013
Gothic Literature Makes Fear and Evil Safe to Explore
The continuing evolution of Gothic Literature is defined by the darkened thoughts and
selfish appetites of the current age’s actions, which are interpreted through all genres of media. The
expansion and acceptance of Gothic tropes are inherently and pervasively evident in all forms of
media easily discernible from Hello Kitty Gothic clothing for small children, to the big screen, as
in Twilight and most recently in Tim Burton’s 2012, Dark Shadows. Examine the progression and
spread of Gothic Literature starting with Horace Walpole’s, The Castle of Otranto, and a solitary
distinct idea emerges; the Gothic makes fear and evil safe to explore.
The Castle of Otranto thoroughly explored and set the precedent for future study by
establishing tropes of decay, supernatural forces, and hidden identities. Powerful, dominate
narcissist males and weak, dependent, innocent women, generational curses, and the end of family
bloodlines emerged as the underlying fear in the 17th century. Literature in the 17th century focused
on the mundane activities of daily life. The Castle of Otranto allowed Horace Walpole’s
contemporaries to revel in an evil villain’s diabolical plan, hold their breath in fear as the innocent
fair maiden fled and allowed a willing suspension of disbelief in the irrational plot’s senseless twist
and turns.
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“The Ruins of the Abbey Fitz-Martin” (Anonymous) and “The Friars Tale” (Anonymous)
signaled the emergence of a primary trope change of gender and a shift in power. Further changes
included the emphasis of power and emotionally charged atmospheres. The emergence of this trope
points to the absence of control over environmental conditions and the vulnerabilities of the
individual in 18th century. Being caught in a rainstorm or out on a dark cold night could be deadly.
One could be struck by lightning or die from hypothermia. The 18th century writing further
developed the oppression and unrest that many Protestants felt towards the perceived rigorous and
inflexible demands of Catholicism. Additionally, the transgressive female is introduced. Up unto
this time, women’s primary role was to remain subservient by marrying a man or God. However, in
the 18th century, women go insane, or die and get revenge. An example of which occurs when
Anna returns from the dead to haunt Vortimer in “The Ruins of the Abbey of Fitz-Martin.” Women
now persecute men within the safety of the text.
The Gothic trajectory explores a more interior fear in the 19th century. This is revealed in
the pivotal “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe, which intensely focuses on the
manifestation of internal fears through the dread of realty, mental illness, and a sentient
environment. The ambient reality is darker and becomes increasingly more malevolent as it
progresses through the 19th century. In “The Fall of the House of Usher” symbolic meaning is used
to reveal that a seemingly insignificant crack along the infrastructure of the mansion can bring
down a family to extinction, as a house would fall. Nathaniel Hawthorne further develops dark
Romanticism and the destructive power of science in, “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” when a fathers
love precipitates the death of his beloved daughter. Psychological fear, mental illness and torture is
expanded in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Barbara and the House of
Greibe” by Thomas Hardy. Insanity is the only relief and escape for both Barbara and Charlotte.
“The Sandman” by E.T.A. Hoffman, is a foretaste of the Latin American Gothic of the
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20th century through exquisite detailing and uncanny representations. The doll is perceived as
living and Coppelius’s threats and mental torture as normal. In “The Uncanny,” Freud presents the
“traditional” as twisted and perverted and the “private and familiar” become, unsettling, troubling
and frightening. Magical Realism emerges and takes “The Uncanny” further with impeccable
writing that describes ordinary events with painful detail. The Latin Gothic permits societal fears,
evil and injustices to present through the fantastic and unbelievable. All traditional Gothic tropes
are present, including oppression, decay and confinement in, “If You Touched My Heart” by Isabel
Allende. Transgression in an “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia
Marques, is experienced when the divine is disregarded. Finally, Gothic torture appears in “The
Gospel According to Mark” by Jorge Luis Borges, when Espinosa is most assuredly crucified. In
this case, fear, evil and civil disappointment become safe to explore in the context of the layered
social political commentary of Latin American Gothic writers.
Hayao Miyazaki uses political commentary and social messages to transmit his fervent antiwar stance in Howls Moving Castle. Similar to the finely detailed writing of the Latin Gothic,
Miyazaki used exceptionally hand crafted detailing in film. This allows the film to move a bit
more slowly, allowing the audience to see and hear his profound messages. These messages
include “love can break a curse” and “transformations for good or evil occur inside first”. This is
most clearly noticed in the vicissitudes of the Witch of the Waste. While her selfishness flourished,
she went from the beautiful woman Howl first encountered, into a distorted, heavily jowled, selfindulgent body of a woman. This is an ideal example of how Gothic is perceived by nature of one’s
own interior evils, selfish motivations, and desires to have power over another. Acquiring power
over another is a centrally dominant and consistent theme in Gothic Literature.
The overriding theme of science versus the supernatural is one vehicle the 21st century Gothic
uses to have characters gain power. In The Hounds of the Baskervilles, originally written by Sir
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Arthur Conan Doyle, science replaces the supernatural as the embodiment of fear. Science is now
used for evil and is a powerful tool in the hands of immoral scientist. Psychological abuse and
mental torture are performed through drugs when Dr. Franklin doses Henry. This is a departure
from the mental torture of Barbara, by Lord Uplandtower in Hardy’s “Barbara and the House of
Greibe”.
Lord Uplandtower used sleep deprivation, a horrific image, and verbal and emotional
abuse to reach his goal of domination. The scientific drugs, and how they may be administered,
which are at the disposal of the 21st century evil scientist and government, is the new monster of
terror.
Vampires are the most relevant and continuing monsters. Vampires reveal the revolution in the
psyche of the Gothic mind by how they have changed over time. Vampires were originally
portrayed as evil, horrific, demonic monsters that reflected inner fears and anxieties. Vampires
were not human, as clearly depicted in the 1931 Dracula, starring Bella Lugosi. Bella Lugosi’s
vampire, while evil, had no defense against a human who had a strong will and, of course, a cross.
Evil presented through vampires started to change in 1967 with the premiere of the Gothic soap
opera Dark Shadows. In this made for TV series, the vampire is invited in and becomes one of the
family’s albeit, foreign members.
Vampires become more human looking and their violent
behavior is hidden under elegant and attractive clothing. The final tipping point is the Dark
Shadows film of 1991, where the film speeds up and the vampire becomes a sexy, desirable
boyfriend. Vampires could be neighbors and are simply misunderstood.
The TV shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997, and True Blood, firmly established
Vampires as normal and the discriminated against minority. Vampires are fully Americanized with
this distinction. Twilight presents the final rendition, currently of vampires as sweetly romantic,
marriage material, moral, sensible and devoted fathers. This vampire is the new normal. The new
American Gothic has rationalized the outward behavior of vampires by assigning reasonable
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explanations to interior motivations. Vampires are no longer responsible for the curse of being a
vampire. The real curse is to be human.
Barnabas Collins, reinvented by Tim Burton is the American 2012 Vampire, is sleek, well
spoken, funny, fit, sexy, and while quick to accept the nuances of the 70’s, sees humanity as
slightly depreciated. This attitude is established in a conversation that Angelique has with Barnabas
in the 2012 version of Dark Shadows when Angelique said, “We’re different from these people, we
are better than them.” Additionally, after the extremely physical sex scene, Barnabas blames his
sexual desire on his “weakness for the living flesh” and thereby infers a humanistic lack of control.
All the traditional Gothic tropes established by Horace Walpole in The Castle of Otranto are
evident, as well as newer tropes garnered through the centuries, in the 2012 Dark Shadows. For
instance, the traditional trope of an ancient family curse is on Barnabas Collins. The emotionally
wounded witch, Angelique, turns Barnabas into a vampire. This traditional trope receives an update
when it is revealed that the scorned witch is also cursed. Angelique uses all at her disposal to
acquire a love that she was inherently incapable of receiving. While this seems like a new twist of
trope, it is eerily similar to Howl’s curse of not having a heart. The selfless, devoted and
unconditional love of Sophie rescued Howl. However, the transgressive, powerful Angelique is,
literally left brittle and shattered, like a fine glass doll, for lack of love from her curse, as stated by
Barnabas, “…you cannot love. That is your curse.” At first review, this appears to be a flaw in the
makeup of Angelique. A case can be made that Barnabas is really saying that she was not “enough”
to have his love. Not good enough, not his social status, the enough category would include her
entire being.
Dark Shadows, in 2012, has all the traditional tropes of Gothic Literature. The
decaying castle, dark romanticism, atmospheric events, an innocent victim, ghosts, secrets, ancient
curses, psychological abusive, murder, transgression, oppression, entrapment, conflict between
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good and evil, mysterious settings, persecution and revenge. Dark Shadows has a dark secret
tunnel hidden within the ancestral home. There are ancient curses on Barnabas, Angelique,
Carolyn, and finally Dr. Hoffman. The creepy meticulous set design creates a mysterious setting,
so that when blood oozes out of every picture and crevice it has the desired effect of horror. At the
end of the film when the mansion cracks it is a great depiction of “The House of Usher.” One of
the traditional Gothic themes that have been updated is the role of Elizabeth as the strong, moral,
matriarch of the family. Traditionally this role is assigned to men. Elizabeth protects her family,
including Barnabas, and presents a clear picture of what is important in the 21st century, an armed
mama. The conflict between good and evil has been updated in that the traditional good and bad
guys are not human; the monster is the traditional crazy female. Angelique covets and gains all the
power; she murders Barnabas’s parents, leads his one true love, and kills David’s mother.
Angelique, in Gothic fashion, curses Carolyn by making her part werewolf for the fun of it and
because she can. Angelique takes revenge a few steps further and destroys the family’s reputation
and business. Thus, taking over the family business manifests into Angelique’s vilest crime.
Angelique’s natural business acumen compared to Barnabas’s mind control style is not revered.
This correlates to that 21st century female whose business mind is often belittled. Moreover, Dark
Shadows incorporates a sort of pseudo reincarnation event that appears from the Japanese Gothic.
This is similar to the Onryo, a spirit who in death, is without peace. “The Chrysanthemum Vow”
by Ueda Aikinari, portrays this when Akana chose death in order to keep his pledge to Soemon. In
Dark Shadows Victoria Winters choses death when her lover, Barnabas, would not capitulate to her
choice. Barnabas gives in and Vicky is possessed by Josette’s spirit. Additionally, the spirit of
David’s mother returns to protect David as she was killed by Angelique and is not at peace. The
2012 version updates and at first glace presents the traditional male vampire as the hero, and the
female as the transgressive super villain. True love, conquers all and evil has a very good reason
for its existence. For example, certainly, anyone would be evil under Angelique’s circumstances.
Angelique, as a witch, has attained all the power and behaved exactly as feared in the Japanese
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Gothic. A good example is “The Tatooer” by Junichiro Tantzaki. Once the geisha receives the
tattoo, she embraces he inner and newly attained power, which implies that the artist will now be
her devoted slave. Angelique’s powerful stance proves this out in her business sense, control over
the town, and her systemic destruction of the lineage of Barnabas Collins. Additionally, not only
does Doctor Hoffman demonstrate an abuse of power, when she steals Barnabas’s blood for her
own Gothic selfish purposes, this also represents the corruption of science and how it is used in the
21st century to accomplish unprincipled greedy results. Women are not worthy of power and will
abuse it. Additional correlations to the Japanese Gothic and Dark Shadows 2012, is the devotion to
family, honor, duty, keeping promises, and that one may be doomed owing to deep love. The
devotion to family is emphasized when Barnabas states “…blood is thicker than water. It is what
defines us and what binds us together.” This statement also reflects the traditional Gothic trope
established in the “The Ruins of the Abbey Fitz-Martin” of the supreme lord of the manor. It is the
Barons way or nothing. In Dark Shadows, by Tim Burton, when Barnabas says “Family is the only
real wealth” and proceeds to restore the decaying mansion and the family business to its past glory,
through supernatural mind control and hidden treasure, displays lasting trope of social class and
division. The layered messages within Dark Shadows takes the traditional tropes of the Gothic and
presents them in a contemporary setting.
The 21st Gothic welcomes the safe exploration of terror through the traditional tropes
established in the 17th century by Horace Walpole. As the Gothic tropes continue to evolve, they
will consistently reflect the changing interior of humanity. Evil will continue to be illuminated
through the creative context Gothic Literature. As new fears continue to emerge and transform
based on what is important culturally the impact will reflect global fears as well as individual
insecurities. The reader will continue to make sense of their world and identify with the Gothic
from this vantage point of safety.
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Works Cited
Aikinari, Ueda, “The Chrysanthemum Vow.” Tales of Moonlight and Rain. Trans.
Anthony Chambers. New York: University of Columbia Press, 2009. 75-90
Allende, Isabel. “If You Touched My Heart.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed.
Chris Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 519-526. Print
Anonymous. “The Friar’s Tale.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed.
Chris Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 12-22. Print.
Anonymous. “The Ruins of the Abbey of Fitz-Martin.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed.
Chris Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 31-50. Print.
Borges Luis, Jorge. “The Gospel According to Mark.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed. Chris
Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 478-482. Print.
Curtis, Dan. Dark Shadows. Dir. Lela Swift. Perf. Jonathan Frid. Dan Curtis Productions, 1966
Dark Shadows. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp. Warner Brothers, 2012. DVD.
García, Márquez Gabriel. Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. N.p., 1968. PDF.
Gilman Perkins, Charlotte. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales.
Ed. Chris Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 249-263. Print.
Hardy, Thomas. “Barbara of the House of Grebe.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed.
Chris Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 218-244. Print.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed.
Chris Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 133-157. Print.
Howl’s Moving Castle. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Perf. Christian Bale. Optimum Releasing
Ltd., 2006. DVD
Hoffman, E.T.A. The Sandman. N.p., 1816. PDF
The Hounds of the Baskervilles. Dir. Paul McGuigan. Perf. Benedict Cumberbatch. BBC,
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2012. Netflix. Web. 23 Apr. 2013
Poe, Allen Edgar. “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed. Chris
Baldick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 85-101. Print.
Tantzaki, Junichiro. “The Tatooer.” Modern Literatures of the NON-Western Worlds. Eds.
Jayana Clerk and Ruth Siegel. New York: Harper Collins Press, 1995. 29-34
Twilight. Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Perf. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson. Summit
Entertainment, November 21, 2008. DVD.
Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto,. New York: Dover Publications, 1966. Print
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