It seems a little strange to call English Gothic a subgenre. After all, Gothic literature was birthed among English writers. Our earliest Gothic examples are all English. And for some people, the Gothic genre is synonymous with English Gothic writing. All that to say, I could easily make a case for the fact that English Gothic is anything but a subgenre.
However, in another sense, Gothic writing’s English roots have impacted so many writers around the world and have given rise to so many variations and subgenres, that it’s hard to discuss the English version without using the word subgenre.
So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to talk about what’s different about the English form of Gothic writing – versus its offshoots such as Southern Gothic, German Gothic or Modern Gothic literature. Each of these variations has taken its own spin on the Gothic tradition, leaving English Gothic as its own entity.
We could hardly discuss any English Gothic writing without acknowledging Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, potboiler though it is, as the origin of the Gothic genre. Awkward – with giant, ghostly helmets falling from the sky, clueless older women and desperate maidens who can do little for themselves – the book contains much of what has become known as English Gothic.
Let’s look at several of these truly English components.
Suspense
It may surprise you to think of suspense as specific to the English category of Gothic literature. Many people think of suspense as something intrinsic to all Gothic writing. However, if you examine the later offshoots of the Gothic genre, this isn’t always the case. German and Modern Gothic are both more likely to employ horror. And Southern Gothic tends to use neither and instead focuses on a tone of dark humor.
It’s the English variety that majors in suspense. That subtle undertone of dread. The slow build to a devastating end.
- The fire that nearly destroys Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre and leaves him blind
- The near destruction of the Englishmen who fight against Dracula’s presence on their native, English soil. A fight that does claim one of their own
- The extent to which Mr. Hyde subsumes and permanently annihilates Dr. Jekyll’s existence within his own
- The dark secret that Maxim finally reveals to his wife – the second Mrs. de Winter – and which threatens to destroy everything that they’ve almost gained for themselves
All of these climactic events come after a long slow build of suspense, a signature trait of English Gothic writers. There are exceptions of course. The Monk by Matthew Lewis and The Italian by Anne Radcliffe are both particularly dark (in part or in whole). But by and large, understated is the word that comes to my mind. Rather than using a lot of horror or even the grotesque elements that are common features in Southern Gothic writing, the English version of Gothic is subtle.
If you’re looking for a contemporary example of this level of subtlety, see Sarah Waters’s writing. The Little Stranger is particularly in keeping with the English capacity to build slow suspense without any of the gimmicks.
Romanticism
English Gothic writing is also heavily indebted to Romanticism. We’re going to talk about Gothic Romance in a few weeks, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. By Romanticism, I mean the Romantic Era. This time period – beginning in the late 18th century – tended to romanticize the medieval era (over the contemporary roots in Greek classicism). It placed a greater value on emotion and nature rather than on reason and technological progress.
This is particularly in keeping with the Gothic genre’s focus on irrational themes – themes that explore those things that can’t be reasoned and which those who over-emphasize reason tend to reject. Romanticism, of which Gothic writing is one of its artistic expression, is also a response to the Age of Reason.
However, the English writers of Gothic literature remained true to this to a greater sense than subsequent offshoots did.
Wuthering Heights is a wonderful example. From start to finish, the book sweeps readers up into a storm of emotion, a setting of wild nature, and histrionic characters that is perfectly in keeping with Romanticism. Readers can’t help but feel every gust of excess as it blows across the moors from the Heights to Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff is often out on the moors – as a child with Catherine and as a man with the ghost of her memory. The characters are often subjected to the weather – whether it’s Mr. Lockwood trapped in the blizzard or Catherine who caught a cold out in the storm when she and Heathcliff crept over to the Linton house to spy on them. This is an excellent parallel for the characters’ psychological states and for the story’s drama.
And all of this emotional emphasis and focus on nature adds up to a particularly Romantic (with a capital “R”) story.
In contrast, we don’t see that to the same extent in any of the subsequent Gothic genres. Even later English Gothic writing such as the works of Dickens – who was extremely interested in and influenced by Gothic writing – features less of the Romanticism.
Hauntings/ Madness
Speaking of Wuthering Heights, or Jane Eyre, or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, hauntings and madness tend to be a dominant element of the English Gothic. This is something that I’m seeing more of in some Modern Gothic writing, but we’ll address that in a couple of weeks. However, in general, the English have a leg up in this area.
Is it the foggy English weather that conjures up the idea of ghosts? Or some of the tempestuous English history that sparks romantic ideas of madness?
My theory is that this goes hand-in-hand with the English understated approach to Gothic writing. Rather than beasts looming large, English writers focus on the inner workings of the character’s psychological state. Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with and then subsequent regret over his creation is a study in man’s heedless pursuit of technology. Whereas other sub genres of Gothic writing (and the Horror genre) would place more emphasis on the creature, in Shelley’s book, the beast that Frankenstein manifests is nothing but a prop. Rather, it’s the madness of the doctor – and the madness of all who take science to such extremes – that takes center stage.
Contemporary Examples
There are many contemporary writers who attempt to write in an English Gothic style but who don’t have the steady hand for slow-building suspense or the depth of character that we see from the historical English writers. It’s even rarer to find one who can write from the perspective of the Romantic Era.
That said, their work is still good and has enough of an English flavor that I’d classify them as English Gothic. I mentioned Sarah Waters, who is one of the best. But Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield are also worth checking out. If you’ve found others whom you’d recommend, let me know!
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