Edgar Allen Poe and the Unbearable Darkness of Being The Gothic Tradition Edgar Allen Poe and the Unbearable Darkness of Being

Birth - Architecture The Gothic movement originated in architecture. Medieval castles were designed to be larger and more imposing than the next castle down the road. The world of the Dark Ages was brutal and violent and first impressions needed to support the image of a strong and powerful ruler. Gothic Architecture is characterised by large, imposing structures with pointed spires. Gargoyles feature prominently in this style of building – they functioned as protectors and added a level of horror to a building.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

Context – the Enlightenment Galileo’s torture and murder by the church sparked a great deal of thought in the world of thinkers and poets. Many started to question religion as the dominant paradigm in the world and turn to science. The Gothic is born as both a reaction to this and the Industrial Revolution, during which people were losing their jobs, being replaced by machines. Gothic ideas question science’s place in the world, its limits and its moral boundaries. Where the enlightenment questioned blind faith in religion, the Gothic questions blind faith in science. It reminds us of the irrational fears of childhood and the things that may lurk in the dark.

Growth – The Romantics Immediately prior to and during the birth of the Gothic, one of the dominant movements in the cultural world was that of the Romantic Poets. These poets and musicians, such as Keats, Byron, Beethoven and Bach celebrated the beauty of the natural world and questioned religion, but frequently reaffirmed its significance. These poems were aimed at the upper classes, containing complex analogies and allusions to classical mythology. The Gothic acted as a reaction to this in some ways, targeting the growing middle class as a demographic and questioning both religion and science.

Domination – The Middle Class The main advantage that the Gothic had in its inception was its appeal to the both the growing middle class and women. In the early-mid 1800s, the middle classes were safe. The violence of the French revolution had made it unsafe to be obviously wealthy and being poor was undesirable in most ways, especially when money was to be made by enterprising businessmen who employed others in factories. The gothic appealed to women and middle-class people for one primary reason – fear transcended class. The stories of the Gothic tradition tap into primal fears present in all human beings. Fear of things that may not exist was also preferable to fear of overthrow by the lower classes or of oppression by the upper classes. Literacy was increasing significantly during this period and women, newly empowered with the ability to read, were thrilled by early Gothic works such as ‘The Castle of Otranto’ and ‘The Monk’. The Gothic essentially acted as a challenge to good taste.