Gothic texts are no longer of value due to their contextual irrelevance and simplistic content
Gothic literature is often undervalued by contemporary audiences, who may label modern texts as more complex in structure and style, or more relevant to a present-day understanding. Despite this, Gothic texts still remain of value and relevance in terms of culture, society, and the influence that they have had on contemporary works. The Gothic genre has evolved from its roots in traditional Gothic text The Castle of Otranto, to a variety of subgenres such as science fiction, via Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, horror, through Edgar Allan Poe 's The Black Cat and The Raven, and various modern renditions and appropriations of their original texts. …show more content…
It is the foundation of all future Gothic works, and henceforth developed the simple and common stereotypes that would endure and evolve throughout modern Gothic texts. The formula of the gothic text relied typically of heavy aesthetics: the sublime, the traditional, and the horrific. Horace Walpole, author of the Castle of Otranto, wanted to take aspects of the largely unrealistic mediaeval romance genre, and combine it with elements of the modern novel, which Walpole believed followed guidelines which were too strict. This unlikely combination produced The Castle of Otranto, a novel which Walpole claimed was an old romance translated from Italian into English. Critics reviewed it favourably until Walpole 's admission in the second edition that it was an original text, rather than a republication. Romance was not a respectable genre for the modern era, particularly not when combined with superstition and fantasy. Although critics declared the emerging Gothic genre outdated, and it remained associated with Walpole 's forgery, the central elements of the novel remained highly influential on later texts, and the genre only grew in terms of authorship and …show more content…
The Black Cat was published in 1843 and mirrors the traditional gothic text in its dark themes and settings, which are then accentuated by Poe to create something far beyond the miserable Gothic archetype, expanding into a far more gruesome tale. With a typical focus on the dark and evil aspects of nature, Poe presents themes of the paranormal and supernatural alongside the converse of sane and insane. The unreliable narrator of the story, a sadistic alcoholic who recounts his story in the form of a letter, asserts that as a child he was "noted for the docility and humanity of [his] disposition". The gothic aspect of his characterisation is enforced when he becomes abusive towards both his wife and the cat, who he blames for his actions. The narrator embodies the darkness of mankind that is exhibited by most in the 'evil, tyrannical male ' archetype: the narrator 's treatment towards both his wife and his cat parallels the careless and destructive actions of Manfred in the Castle of
Gothic literature is often undervalued by contemporary audiences, who may label modern texts as more complex in structure and style, or more relevant to a present-day understanding. Despite this, Gothic texts still remain of value and relevance in terms of culture, society, and the influence that they have had on contemporary works. The Gothic genre has evolved from its roots in traditional Gothic text The Castle of Otranto, to a variety of subgenres such as science fiction, via Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, horror, through Edgar Allan Poe 's The Black Cat and The Raven, and various modern renditions and appropriations of their original texts. …show more content…
It is the foundation of all future Gothic works, and henceforth developed the simple and common stereotypes that would endure and evolve throughout modern Gothic texts. The formula of the gothic text relied typically of heavy aesthetics: the sublime, the traditional, and the horrific. Horace Walpole, author of the Castle of Otranto, wanted to take aspects of the largely unrealistic mediaeval romance genre, and combine it with elements of the modern novel, which Walpole believed followed guidelines which were too strict. This unlikely combination produced The Castle of Otranto, a novel which Walpole claimed was an old romance translated from Italian into English. Critics reviewed it favourably until Walpole 's admission in the second edition that it was an original text, rather than a republication. Romance was not a respectable genre for the modern era, particularly not when combined with superstition and fantasy. Although critics declared the emerging Gothic genre outdated, and it remained associated with Walpole 's forgery, the central elements of the novel remained highly influential on later texts, and the genre only grew in terms of authorship and …show more content…
The Black Cat was published in 1843 and mirrors the traditional gothic text in its dark themes and settings, which are then accentuated by Poe to create something far beyond the miserable Gothic archetype, expanding into a far more gruesome tale. With a typical focus on the dark and evil aspects of nature, Poe presents themes of the paranormal and supernatural alongside the converse of sane and insane. The unreliable narrator of the story, a sadistic alcoholic who recounts his story in the form of a letter, asserts that as a child he was "noted for the docility and humanity of [his] disposition". The gothic aspect of his characterisation is enforced when he becomes abusive towards both his wife and the cat, who he blames for his actions. The narrator embodies the darkness of mankind that is exhibited by most in the 'evil, tyrannical male ' archetype: the narrator 's treatment towards both his wife and his cat parallels the careless and destructive actions of Manfred in the Castle of