WHY GOTHIC?

At first glance, Gothic fiction may seem somewhat formulaic. Creepy haunted houses. Young women fleeing said houses, clothed only in diaphanous nightgowns. Ghosts and sinister family secrets. The tropes historically used in this genre can be problematic and difficult to reconcile with modern day mores. There are often elements such as rape, incest, and murder. Despite its lurid reputation, Gothic literature has always been a subversive vehicle for social commentary. It tends to enjoy a renaissance during times of political and social upheaval. It’s no surprise to me that Gothic fiction is once again trending, considering the state of current affairs in our world.

Gothic was ostensibly born as a genre in the 18th century, when The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole put down sinister roots. Those roots spread, reaching a notable peak in the Romantic Era with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the work of the Brontë sisters. There are earlier works that could be considered Gothic in nature—Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth come to mind—but when we think of the genre as it stands to this day, The Castle of Otranto was the initial catalyst.

Set in Medieval Italy, the story follows Lord Manfred and his family as they prepare to celebrate the wedding of the only son and heir to the title. Walpole wastes no time in establishing his dark plot. The book opens with Manfred’s sickly son Conrad being crushed by a giant bell on his wedding day. Manfred, horrified that his only male heir has just perished, decides he’s going to divorce his wife and take his would-be daughter-in-law, Isabella, for a wife instead. Youth and fertility and all that. Isabella flees. Manfred chases her. The typical Gothic shenanigans ensue. Murder, ghosts, rattling chains. Gothic fiction is most notable for its blending of genres. The Castle of Otranto includes aspects of romance, supernatural horror, suspense, and political intrigue. It was a smashing success for Walpole and established a genre that was the perfect vehicle for exploring societal and political change through the lens of fiction.

The politics are always present in Gothic, if you look for them. Toward the latter half of the 18th century, and continuing well into the 20th, the rise of what would come to be called the middle class began to assert itself in Europe and America. The lower classes were no longer content to labor and pay exorbitant taxes while aristocrats enjoyed the finer things in life. By the mid-to-late 18th century, the first stirrings of history-making revolution began to manifest. It’s no coincidence that Gothic literature—with its themes of overturning colonialism, staid ancestral traditions, and its pointed examination of the aristocracy’s moral shortcomings, rose within the literary lexicon of the era.

For me, Gothic fiction is a way to explore historical feminism, systems of oppression through religion and politics, and women’s sexuality in all of its dynamic range. My main character in Parting The Veil, Eliza, is very much a woman of her time. But she’s also a protofeminist. A so-called “spinster” by choice, whose first love was a woman, Eliza is not shy about exploring her sexuality or questioning the social and political constructs of the day. While Eliza does marry a man, Malcolm, the enigmatic and penniless Lord Havenwood, she makes it very clear to him that she will demand “a measure of independence” within their marriage. Even though circumstances conspire against her, and her choices sometimes get the better of her, Eliza’s agency remains intact throughout.

Personal autonomy can often seem missing from the characterization of women in Gothic literature of earlier periods, especially when written by male authors. The young and innocent heroines of several early Gothic tales seem to function as mere fodder for the plot, swept along by the machinations of the hero’s dark desires. A notable exception to this is Jane Eyre. Many scholars will argue that the early feminism in the Brontë sisters’ work is negligible, but in Jane, Charlotte Brontë created a heroine who wasn't afraid to question dubious constructs and push against Rochester’s abrasive, insular misogyny. Jane writes her own fate during a time when women were expected to be quiet, obedient, and deferential to men. Jane leaves Rochester. Though she’s fallen in love with him, she leaves him because her sense of self-respect and dignity is more important to her than passion. Read that in historical context and it will truly drive home the point that she was a woman ahead of her time who knew herself and would not settle for less than she deserved. When she chooses to return to Rochester, she returns in triumph and with an unshakeable sense of her own autonomy. We cannot help but root for her.

Jane Eyre was the first gothic novel I ever read, and it had a lasting impact on me. I’m personally drawn to Gothic fiction as a writer because the tropes and themes are a vast playground I never tire of exploring. The aesthetics are also a huge part of the appeal for me. Truly, who can resist mist-shrouded landscapes, romantically morbid cemeteries, and crumbling, once-beautiful mansions? In a broader sense, Gothic is a safe conduit for examining the shadowed side of humanity, just like its sister genres of mystery, horror, and thriller/suspense/crime fiction—with a touch of the speculative and supernatural.

When the rest of the world feels out of sorts, Gothic fiction writers create a sort of quiet, subversive rebellion within the pages of their dark tales. It’s no surprise it’s a favorite genre for women to read and write. The experiences of Gothic heroines are often a lens and a mirror. And in my stories, the woman running from the haunted house will always live by her own rules.

Parting The Veil releases on November 1st from Lake Union Publishing and is available for pre-order wherever books are sold.

As a bonus, I’ve listed several of my favorite modern novels with Gothic themes, as well as a few upcoming releases I’m eagerly anticipating. I hope you’ll check them out! Happy reading.

A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance

It Will Just Be Us by Jo Kaplan

Arrowood by Laura McHugh

The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

In The Shadow of Lakecrest by Elizabeth Blackwell

After Alice Fell and The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Beguiled by Night by Nicole Eigener

Tidepool by Nicole Willson