Of the Gothic Short Story CHARACTERISTICS Of the Gothic Short Story

GOTHIC: Of or relating to a blood-lusting tribe of Germanic, Nomadic warriors who travelled central and western Europe during the Dark Ages. Known for their extreme methods of torture against their enemies and the desire for blood-letting, the Goths also became noted for the establishing of distinctly vaulting fortresses/castles; built as they settled into newly conquered lands, & creating the now famous “Gothic Architectural” style. Classic/Mid/Modern Gothic Short Stories often exhibit one or more of the following characteristics & often in varying degrees:

The Gothic Short Story is a form of the genre in which magic, mystery, horror, violence, the strange and the terrifying, the macabre and the supernatural are the chief characteristics.

Classic Gothic stories rely most heavily on Plot and Atmosphere which often become more important for their effect on the reader rather than the Development of the Characters. Description is often more important than dialogue. This changes dramatically in the Modern Gothic story.

The supernatural is given a naturalistic explanation & is therefore completely acceptable & believable to the reader.

Gothic settings/environments are often nightmarish & morbid; often set at midnight or in darkness; on a stormy or windy night; in a desolate castle or manor which has long underground passages, trap doors, mysterious rooms, cliffs & precipices or endless caverns.

Stories are often centerd around the bizarre, the abnormal, the diseased & the morbid. The Gothic short story often focus’s on the psychology of the human mind; most often an unhealthy mind.

Recurring themes of death, destruction, retribution, revenge, obsession, possession by evil, addiction and insanity abound.

The “classic “gothic style is polished, graceful & classical The “classic “gothic style is polished, graceful & classical. Point of view is often first person but is equally effective in the third person.

The style of the Modern Gothic will often copy many of the elements of the Classic story but is often more colloquial in it’s language and references to popular culture. Dialogue is often more prominent in a Modern Gothic tale and the writing style is often looser, casual and the P.O.V. proves equally effective in first or third person.