More Updates, And The American Gothic

 Another day, another update. Some posts may be semi-formal where I try to defend what I'm saying but don't focus too much on it. I plan to have 1-2 long posts a month, just like my friend. That means the rest will necessarily be short. 

I would also like to mention that the short posts from here onwards may be satirical. I won't say which ones are, but I'll try to make it obvious because I'm more planning to go for sheer parody or biting satire. (As opposed to subtle satire, of course.) I'll be nice today and say that the below is not satire. Don't expect a particular pattern either. It will just be whenever I feel like it.

The American Gothic – with a varied tradition ranging from Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le. Guin, various stories by Edgar Allan Poe, and arguably even some of William Faulkner’s writings – tends to weave in Gothic beings as humans, rather than relying simply on the unknown. Instead of vampires or werewolves or the like, the horror rests within humans. The familiar then becomes unacceptable, creating a destabilizing effect. That, or simply the dark. Tombs of Atuan is quite Gothic with its deference for darkness. 

At the same time, Le Guin fuses American gothic with feminist undertones by focusing on many female characters. Taken together, these images constitute painting the feminine form as something evil and dark and belonging in the shadows. This fusion is not overtly monstrous but it is demonic in a subtle manner – akin to say the protagonist in Poe’s story “The Black Cat” who murdered his cat. 

This fusion characterization may seem extreme but this tactic’s extremity calls attention to “normal” perceptions of the feminine form. Women and girls, at least in American society, are often referred to as a weak evil. For example, hysteria is associated almost exclusively with being female – a controlling and likely cold personality is often fit onto them. Though the gothic feminine form can seem exaggerated, it represents misogynistic views well due to this focus. Thus, analyzing this characterization allows for gender views to be uncovered. 

Works Cited

Major Tales and Poems. Poe, Edgar A. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Edwards Brothers, Inc, 2009. Print.