My Definition of the Gothic: Pt. 2

     In my first posting, I very simply explained my personal definition on the idea of the Gothic. When going back and reviewing my definition, I've realized my personal views on how I perceive the Gothic can be explained in more than a few sentences. The Gothic, to me, is a very complex idea-- ranging from the supernatural all of the way down to ones personal madness.

     When I talk to anyone today and mention "Gothic" anything to them, it always goes the same way: modern day Gothic ideas. Pale faces, dramatic makeup and sometimes very dramatic clothing as well; it's still Gothic, but for me I much prefer the literature and what Gothic was centered around way back when. When "Gothic literature" is mentioned, the idea of dark fortresses, a damsel in distress, supernatural entities and various other common tropes instantly come to mind. It makes me, as the reader, create an image in my mind that could be seen as eerie, maybe even horrifying. To me, the idea of "Gothic literature" is to show in dramatic ways what a persons deepest fears can do to them if they allow it to overcome them, like in "The Castle of Otranto." Every character of that story, I felt, had some fear that they all had to face; some were able to face their fear and conquer it. Yet, there were other characters who allowed their fears basically take over their lives.

      Structures of Gothic literature are very interesting, also. I think a really good example of how a piece of Gothic Literature is set up can be found in Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." In this, there is a lot of detail and build up, making the story almost seem as if it is dragging, and then BOOM, numerous things start happening almost all at once. Suddenly supernatural beings come out of the woodwork trying to exact their revenge, which is exactly what happened with Roderick and his seemingly deceased sister Madeline, with the onlooker whom was narrating the story. At the end of it though, it makes the reader wonder, "did that all actually happen, or was it just the sanity of the parties who were there to witness?"

     This brings me to analysis of Gothic Literature, and how I think it is all interpreted. So far, from what I have read, these tales usually have a deeper meaning and are there to make the reader really think about what they have just read, and to challenge their beliefs and ideas. A story I personally enjoy when concerning analysis and the whole "what is really happening here?" idea to go along with it was Charlotte Perkins Stetson's "The Yellow Wall-Paper." I think this really gives a good insight to the common Gothic trope and fear of personal madness, and someone giving into that madness. The story made me think and come to a certain interpretation that makes logical sense. When comparing a story like "The Yellow Wall-Paper" to say something more modern like this--

Horror has taken a whole new meaning in today's culture. It's all centered around gore and jump scares. This also ties in with what the Gothic is not. I personally believe directors of horror films think, "the bloodier the movie is, the better it will be received." This is completely twisted from what horror back in the nineteenth and twentieth (and further back) horror was perceived. Horror and fear in Gothic Literature were deep rooted; they were designed to pinpoint society's deepest fears and make them come alive. Every story we have read in class so far have done a fantastic job at doing that. I really like going back to "The Yellow Wall-Paper" because it shows the slow descent into madness, which is a "hush hush" fear (as I like to call them).

    I think defining this term is extremely important for a number of reasons. When looking for common Gothic tropes in society today, it's really easy to get them confused for what today's idea of "horror" is; this is the blood, guts and every other nasty concept that can fit into a ninety minute movie. It's important to define Gothic because it's so much more complex than just a few scares here and there. It's psychological, emotional and makes the readers think. Everything Gothic has a certain complexity to it, from the reading to the architecture, and of course the dresses-- Corsets.  Basically, it's easy to lose sight of what genre is which and start overlapping, but I think knowing the difference between Gothic and horror are incredibly important.  To me, there ARE some similarities, but they are still very different; both have varying levels of complexity that should always be a thought in any viewer or readers mind.

The Yellow Wall Paper: A Literary Argument

Many things can be said about this story, and another great deal of things can be interpreted. As I read this, I realized that it was a bit like a journal writing, and that I was reading a documentation of a slow demise. As we move along in the story, we also move along with Charlotte's eventual mental breakdown.

Quite literally, she absolutely loses it. She rips the wallpaper from the wall, and was said to be "crawling" in circles and never stopping. While at the beginning, she just wrote about hating it, but there was nothing she could do about it. So, she just sat in her room and let the hate for it consume her; soon she was saying that she could "smell" the yellow of the room.

When thinking about this story, it can be quite obvious that Charlotte completely lost her marbles. But throughout the whole thing, she was saying that there was a woman in the wallpaper. I think that might mean her, as she always states that the woman can be seen crawling on the side of the "lovely road", but is often frightened by oncoming buggies  and hides, which could be interpreted as that Charlotte is scared of what might happen to her if she left the house and discontinued her rest cure. As for the woman in the wallpaper, I think it's a reflection of Charlotte herself-- as being stuck in the house for almost three months-- and almost becoming apart of the house.