Sunday, June 24, 2018

I found my niche! Southern Gothic



I struggled for a long time knowing exactly how to classify some of my novels. 
I think I found my niche. After attending a meeting on Southern Gothic, by Jove! 
Most of my stuff is Southern Gothic. 
Any of you who have read any of my writing, tell me if you agree.
SOUTHERN GOTHIC
Basic Gothic Tools in Southern Gothic
•    Flawed, disturbed, or eccentric characters
•    Plot stems from crime or other violence
•    Exploitation of social issues in southern culture
•    Lost ideals of deposed southern aristocracy
•    A magical, realistic context in literature in the New South
Gothic Timeline
    Gothic writing—
•    18th century society
•    Stories of haunting, death, darkness, and madness
•    Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are some examples
American Gothic—
•    America was too "young" for the normal elements of Gothic literature
•    Turned to the exploration of the human psyche
•    Mysterious, flawed characters and a question of the society they represent.
•    Horror, supernatural
•    Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving prominent authors
Modern Gothic
•    Many of the same elements
•    Think STEPHEN KING 
Southern Gothic
•    Height from 1940s-1060s
•    Use of dark humor
•    Strange behavior of complex characters
•    Still touches of horror/supernatural
•    Often love gone wrong or unrequited love
•    Takes place in the South, but not necessarily on a plantation
•    Broken spirits
•    Author examines harm infliction on others
•    Human condition does harm—morality in question
•    Plots of racism, violence, poverty
•    Often grotesque death and loneliness
•    Southern spunk
•    Strong female characters
•    No longer tall yarns or dialect-driven
•    Tales of small wars hidden in respectable families
•    Strangers in strange places

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