Lauren Weatherly

 The American Gothic

            I have always been interested in tales that stretched the imagination. The weird, the strange, and the supernatural are my calling when it comes to choosing something to read that will provide the utmost enjoyment for me. The Gothic genre of literature has always fascinated me above all other aspects as it stretches my imagination into worlds previously unknown and unfamiliar to most readers. I do already possess a fairly extensive knowledge of European Gothic as I am very familiar with authors such as Shelley, Stoker, and Rossetti being amongst my favorites. The knowledge I possess concerning American Gothic Literature is minute compared its European counterpart and influence. What I wish to explore are the influences of the American gothic and its authors: Who were the most famous American gothic authors? Where did they draw inspiration from? I already know that much of what came into being concerning this genre stemmed in Europe, but I wish to more details like which stories and authors had the greatest impact on American Gothic writers? Essentially, I will be exploring the history of the American gothic genre, where it originated and who had the most impact.

            I began my search simply looking for general information as I was not too sure where to start or how early in America the Gothic tradition came into being. After finding a site that listed authors, novels, anthologies, and bibliographies concerning American Gothic fiction, I was able to find a bit of direction. The first major, and quite generally informational, source I stumbled upon was a random website entitled “American gothic: Washington Irving.” I was already familiar with Irving’s works of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle,” but this site provided more information on the general history as well as the transformation into the American gothic in our post-colonial country. The site identified the first major gothic novel to be “Wieland; or the Transformation” by Charles Brockden Brown, as he used an actual murder that occurred in New York as inspiration for his mysterious tale. I had never heard of this author or this work previously in my academic or recreational reading experience, so of course, I was intrigued and excited to learn something new and fascinating on my first website. Along with general information on the history of the American Gothic Tradition, the site also points out several key authors as being major contributors to early American gothic fiction. Among them being Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe. Overall, this site was largely informational and provided a good groundwork in which to further direct my research. With a good general knowledge in place, more narrowed focus could now be directed toward specific authors and their influences. Website: http://www.americangothic.narod.ru/america.htm.

            The second site I found a large amount of information from was actually a distance learning course of American Literature centering on the American Gothic Tradition. In this site I found information on European influences for gothic romance fiction as well as a general outline of what Gothic literature is. The site goes on to list specific authors that majorly influenced the American gothic genre that the class would center around and explore. The list includes authors such as Philip Freneau, William Cullen Bryant, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. I noticed a few similar authors and works listed that were listed in the other site I found, as well as a few new authors I had not previously heard mention of. At the end of the page, a section titled “Implications” particularly intrigued me as its main subject had to do with dreams as being an influence to creativity and psychological constructs of the mind. I can see where this would pertain to what I am researching as most Gothic influence comes from the creative drive within a persons mind; or what they can “dream up.” This applies to writers today as well as authors in the past in early America. This site was also largely informational and provided answers to questions I had in place. Website: http://www.distancelearningassociates.com/eng2327/BC-GothicTradition.html

            Overall, many of my questions were answered in the course of my research. I learned the major authors of early American gothic fiction as well as major works written and published. I learned some information on the general history of the American Gothic Tradition as well as key elements in identifying works in the gothic genre. I learned where to look and who to look up for future reading enterprises, as the main point of my research was to find out who and what I wish to delve into next, both for my academic adventures in fiction, as well as for personal enjoyment. One question that I wish to still have more information on are the European influences and which authors or works from Europe personally influenced authors in post-colonial America writing in the Gothic genre, if any existed. I am sure these influences exist as writers often draw inspiration from other authors preceding them, but for this question to be answered, a more narrow and focused search, possibly on biographies of specific American authors may need to take place. I found a bit of general knowledge concerning European influences, but what I am wishing to discover is much more focused than what I found so far. Nonetheless, what I did find was a good starting point. Altogether, I am satisfied with my research results and have a few new books added to my reading list. I love the gothic genre and will continue to look for enticing and mind boggling works of fiction to sate my thirst for the weird, wild, and unknown.

Bibliography:

“American Gothic.” American Gothic: Washington Irving.Web. 28 March 2012. http://www.americangothic.narod.ru/america.htm

Grimes, Dr. Geoffrey A. “Basic Concept: The American Gothic Tradition.” English 2327: Survey of American Literature. Web. 28 March 2012. http://www.distancelearningassociates.com/eng2327/BC-GothicTradition.html

Reuben, Paul P. “PAL: Appendix N: The Gothic and American Literature.” PAL: Persepectives in American Literature – A Research and Reference Guide. Web. 28 March 2012. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/append/axn.html

The Gothic Experience. Web. 28 March 2012. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/gothic/history.html