Here we are at our fourth Gothic literary subgenre. We looked at what makes Southern Gothic, English Gothic and German Gothic writing so unique. Today, I’d like to talk about the Modern Gothic subgenre.
This one is different in its own way. Or, as I should say, in several ways.
Gothic Horror
As I’ve mentioned in separate posts, these days I see a fair number of Gothic-Horror crossover novels. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a good example of this. The book tells the story of Noemí, a young woman who receives a desperate letter from her cousin claiming that her husband is trying to kill her. Noemí leaves for her cousin’s house, set in a remote part of the Mexican countryside, in order to try to uncover the truth. Once there, she comes face-to-face with an ancient evil that intends to carry out its designs through Noemí.
The book is not Gothic in the traditional sense. It doesn’t use the same type of irrational theme that underscores the Gothic genre. However, it does employ Gothic tropes – a crumbling estate, dark family secrets, inclement weather – with a strong dash of horror (to an extent that could be considered gruesome).
Another example is The Meaning Night: A Confession by Michael Cox. The story begins with a brutal and remorseless murder. We know from the day one that our protagonist is an almost entirely amoral man who will stop at nothing to have what he believes is his. The true horror in this book is his character and the complete lack of sympathy that Cox creates for this very unlikable character.
Traditional Gothic
Then there are authors who churn out contemporary versions of what feel like very old-school, traditional Gothic novels. Sarah Waters managed this brilliantly with her novel, The Little Stranger. This book is also a study in the uncanny. So much so that I’d like to save most of what want to say about it for another post. But if you’re looking for a good contemporary example of an author who knows how to pull together a classic Gothic work, check this one out.
Another example would be The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell. I wasn’t sure if I would like this book and was very pleasantly surprised. Ms. Purcell manages to write a very traditional Gothic story with a very fresh feel. When a young maid arrives at Morvoren House on the coast of England, she thinks that she’s hiding from her past. Instead, she finds a family with a past that casts all of her own in a new light. Soon she realizes that she’s in more danger than she ever was but it’s too late to run.
More of the Supernatural and/or Paranormal
Whether its more werewolves, vampires (always vampires, please), or some other form of the undead, Modern Gothic majors in the supernatural. This is especially true in the young adult category, but not exclusively. Within the category of adult Gothic literature, ghosts reign supreme (and always have).
With respect to the former, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a wonderful blend of a Modern Gothic story written in the traditional style mixed with the supernatural. A young woman sets out to uncover the mystery of her father’s recent disappearance and her mother’s unknown fate. Her research sets her on a path to uncover the history of Vlad the Impaler, the man behind the legend of Dracula, a being who may be more reality than myth.
One of many [often wonderful] Modern Gothic ghost stories, is Paraic O’Donnell’s The House on Vesper Sands. I questioned whether to include this under Gothic Horror. It begins on a darker note than traditional Gothic stories typically do, as a seamstress jumps to her death with a cryptic message stitched in her skin. It’s a Gothic story in which the supernatural elements – spiritualism in this case – are central to the story from start to finish.
Gothic Incognito
There are also a fair number of books with strongly Gothic themes that aren’t marketed as such. I often cite Dan Simmons’ book Carrion Comfort as one of the best examples of this. The story follows, Saul Laski, an extermination camp survivor, who’s hunting one of the senior Nazi officer who survived the aftermath of the war and is hiding out in America. The book uses the concept of mind vampires – those who can enter into the minds of others and control them – as a tangible example of the kind of control that so many evil leaders throughout history have been able to exert on others.
It’s a brilliant Gothic work, with a strong mixture of both horror and the paranormal. And yet it’s simply categorized as Horror.
Other Crossovers
In addition, modern writers have utilized the framework of Gothic writing – albeit often only the tropes themselves – and taken them it every direction imaginable. Urban Gothic, Midwestern Gothic, Gothic romance (both love stories – like Twilight – and the harlequin sort), Gothic detective stories and Gothic-Dark Fantasy (Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight trilogy).
Whatever writers can imagine, they are setting out to mix with the Gothic. However, these other crossovers are still a vastly smaller proportion of Gothic writing than the types I’ve outlined above.
The long and the short of it is that Modern Gothic is essentially a mixture of every other type of novel – new and old. Traditional stories mixed with modern themes. Modern takes on traditional tropes. And a blend of Gothic with every other genre.
That makes it very hard to define what makes Modern Gothic unique, but hopefully this gives you some understanding of what’s going on in the Gothic genre. If you know of other trends, or good examples of any of the above, please share it below! I love to hear about what you’re reading and what other writers are exploring.
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