|
(2017
midterm assignment) Sample Student Midterm Answers 2017 #2b: Short Essay (Favorite Term) |
LITR 4328 |
 |
Teresa Edeen
Aesthetic of the Macabre
You might not suspect that a person with an affinity for bright clothes
and pink hair would be as into the gothic aesthetic and writing style as I am,
but I’ve always adored it, just not outwardly. Its philosophic nature and
tendency to confront deep questions with its subject matter and willingness to
approach the darkest questions of humanity unflinchingly are what drew me to the
style.
The appearance of the aesthetic and approach to writing certainly applies
to many current works of media, both in books and film. But as far as its
importance, it merely serves to categorize media. This in itself can be helpful
to understand the reason for a certain work's creation or may be helpful in
understanding what a certain writer is trying to communicate. For example, the
currently popular adult cartoon Rick and
Morty deals heavily in the grotesque and philosophical aspect of the gothic
style to convey a balance of satirical and heavy moments in order to get across
their core message, whatever that may be from episode to episode. And without
understanding that the creators want the audience to think at one part and be
disgusted at others, the audience may miss what the creators intended to portray
in their show.
The term gothic as I have come to understand it is a style of writing or
genre that usually involves dark themes, such as death, isolation, decay,
repressed wants or sins, and fear, and dark settings, such as the wilderness,
decaying castles or churches as well as grotesque figures and fair beautiful
women.
No work better fits this definition than this passage from Poe’s
“Ligeia”. “She came and departed as a shadow-as she places her marble hand upon
my shoulder-But in death only, was I fully impressed with the strength of her
affection.” The narrator is made to reflect upon the perfection of his wife by
her untimely death. This is very much like the dark theme I described in my
definition, specifically that of death and isolation as the man is left alone
twice by dead lovers. The other gothic characteristic is that of the pale and
beautiful woman, common in Poe’s stories. This passage has very much confirmed
my understanding of what the gothic aesthetic and style is.
Being a sub-sect of the same movement, the gothic and sublime styles
share a fair bit of overlap. The sublime mainly deals with the beauty and
vastness of nature and the universe, and in this philosophy of taking in the
beauty and ugliness of the vast world, the sublime is comparable to the gothic.
They both accept the beauty and faults of the world as well as celebrate both by
exaggerating them to their extremes.
First, my understanding of the gothic was just as a fashion statement or
a certain look. But through this course, I've come to know it as a writing style
and genuinely unique outlook on the world as well as life. Most of all it has
helped me to understand its influence on much of the media I consume today.
