#gothic devices

[gothicseverance]

The fragment, manuscript, letter, ruin, dream.

—Gaps and Gothic Sensibility

[eeriemortis]

Pater noster satanas

[clandestinewhore]

[heartshapedcaskett]

Parkton, NC August 2016

[the960writers]

Gothic Literature vs Horror: A Tale of Terror and Romance

[whegan]

the beauty calibrator, invented by max factor in 1932.

[daisywords]

finally got around to reading Mexican Gothic. It had me hooked and actually followed through (the buildup was good but I was worried the ending/revelation was going to fall flat. it held up though.) Anyway my take is that it felt like if a really good movie was a book. Like the story operated more on movie logic than book logic if that makes any sense. (not a criticism, just an observation.) Overall well done and well paced. Predictable enough to be coherent but mysterious enough to be compelling. There were a couple of elements that seemed a little clumsy to me, but forgivable in service of the whole. Would recommend if you want to read a book that feels like watching Crimson Peak or something

[vounnasi]

i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me -

in all seriousness, i've been motivated to update my designs for the j&h crew! utterson in particular has been eating away at me. i still like his previous design, but i want to explore different avenues.

[gothicseverance]

In literature, a “found document” refers to when the text of the story is presented as though it comes from an actual document that was discovered and assembled by either someone in the story or an outside observer.(…) The found document framing device has been part of Gothic literature since its very beginnings and was particularly popular during the nineteenth century.

—The Gothic Library

The Lexington Letter

[doomed-patch-of-ink]

(As someone whose first language is not English) shoutout to all those beautiful, nasty English words they use in written horror media. Writhe, lurk, warp, slough, tight, bulbous, desperation, utter, wriggle, hollow, all those and all the like.

They make my blood stir with anticipation and that's without The CONTEXT

[the960writers]

Gothic vs. Horror Literature: A Study of Genres

Today, the words gothic and horror have nearly become synonymous, but it’s not really true that they are one and the same thing.

Yes, they are both based on terror, fear, mysticism, or suspense—that’s a given—but what divides them from this point? Even if there is obvious overlap, both genres do in fact produce distinct moods or experiences in their audience.

Gothic literature uses terror as a plot device within a mystical setting or with supernatural elements at play to comment on social, political, and religious tensions (and anxieties) of a certain time period or community—even if this is done subtly. There is also usually a romance or romantic element involved.

Horror literature uses terror as an art form to explore the darkest reaches of the human condition through fiction and to inspire a reaction in its audience. This is most commonly done by building tension or suspense using various story elements. Horror is meant to unsettle and disgust you.

Let's take a look at the histories of Gothic and horror literature, some of their most notable works, and see how the two genres remain distinct.

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