Welcome to the first part of our exploration of several Gothic subgenres. If you’re relatively new to Gothic literature, you may not realize how expansive the genre really is. If you’ve been a lover of Gothic for some time now, you most likely know – at least at some level – that Southern Gothic is a distinct subgenre. But perhaps you don’t know how many authors are part of this category.
But in either case, I think it will astound you to learn how much depth there is to the Gothic genre and how pervasive it has been in American literature. Many of our most loved authors and playwrights wrote in the Gothic genre. And many of us didn’t even know it.
Plays like A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams; the writings of William Faulkner (such as The Sound and the Fury) and Harper Lee (such as To Kill a Mockingbird) and Cormac McCarthy (The Road) are all Gothic – Southern Gothic to be precise.
Southern Gothic – Themes
But first, what makes a book part of the Southern Gothic tradition? The subgenre existed prior to the twentieth century, but is said to have gained its roots in that historical period, in which writers such as Faulkner, Williams and Flannery O’Connor gave it the attention and foundation that it deserved.
These works are generally set in the American South, especially in the Southeast. But works by writers such as Edgar Allan Poe are said to embody the spirit of Southern Gothic even though they’re set outside of the South.
Southern Gothic writings feature those irrational themes that we’re used to seeing in European Gothic writing. But they also feature themes that are unique to America and in particular, the American South.
For example, Southern Gothic writing often focuses on themes of repression – whether due to race, gender or sexuality. Forms of subjugation that are most most associated with southern history. We see this in To Kill a Mockingbird with Lee’s focus on racial tensions in the south.
We also see themes that feature the juxtaposition of the idyllic and romanticized view of the old South with its harsh realities. For example, much of Faulkner’s work sets the beauty of the Southern ideal against themes of hardship and poverty.
This blends over into themes of Old South vs. New South such as in the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. In the play, Blanche DuBois represents a southern belle – a carryover from a world that’s long-gone – trapped in a harsh, modern world.
Southern Gothic – Elements
In Southern Gothic writing, expect to see elements such as:
- Old, possibly crumbling plantations – representing the loss of what was supposed to be a romanticized South, but which was built upon repression
- Undertones of repression – especially racial repression, which pits this romanticized ideal against its foundation: one of slavery and oppression
- A general tone of anxiety – one which mirrors a region in which the Civil War and the South’s resultant dispossessed aristocracy have left its inhabitants uncertain of their identity
- A reflection on America’s inexplicable appetite for violence. See much of Cormac McCarthy’s writing for examples of these.
- Characters with physical deformities that symbolize a corrupt moral compass
- Ghosts that bring to light the unsaid realities of the South’s history
- A deterioration of wealth – symbolic of the South’s loss of itself and a deterioration of its standing in American culture
- Characters with deep moral flaws. See Flannery O’Connor’s short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, for a superb example of this.
Southern Gothic – Notable Authors
It still amazes me to discover how many authors I’ve loved over the years fall into the Gothic genre. It’s easy to understand that the Brontë sisters and Mary Shelley are Gothic. But in school I loved Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor, never realizing that this was so consistent with my other preferences.
Even Poe, whose writing I would never have categorized as Gothic. However, his use of characters whose madness stems from anxiety and his focus on racial and sexual subjects that are often deemed to be taboo situates his work solidly in the Southern Gothic camp.
In addition to the aforementioned authors, consider Anne Rice, V.C. Andrews and Truman Capote. Check out The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (which is actually nonfiction) and Beloved by Toni Morrison. Not to mention dozens of others. For a more comprehensive list, take a look at the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Gothic
Southern Gothic – An Example
For a very contemporary – and well-executed – example, pick up the novel The Gates of Evangeline, by Hester Young. The novel features a young woman who, in the wake of the loss of her child and the dissolution of her marriage, begins to dream prophetic dreams of children suffering. One vision in particular leads her to accept a writing assignment at an old plantation in Louisiana.
There she hopes to uncover the story behind the disappearance of a young boy named Gabriel, the youngest son of an old aristocratic family, who went missing without a trace thirty years prior. On one level there’s a very dominant theme of motherhood in this book, in specific: how far a mother will go to protect her son.
But the book also features some of the Old South-New South themes we’ve discussed, along with themes of sexual repression, a loss of place in American society and a strong tone of anxiety – particularly from the oldest brother, Andre.
I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s solidly written and is an excellent contemporary example of what is categorized as Southern Gothic. If you’re interested in the genre, this is a good place to start.
Regardless, as you can see, there are many writers throughout American history – especially within the last century – whose work falls within the Southern Gothic category. They’re usually rich with social commentary and a juxtaposition of history with the modern era. I highly recommend the subgenre for its quality and uniquely American approach to Gothic literature!
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Bjerre, Thomas Ærvold. Southern Gothic. Oxford Research Encyclopedias. 28 June, 2017. https://oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-304. Accessed November 2021.