A Summary of Southern Gothic
For my summary, I have chosen to look at the secondary source titled “The Rise of Southern Gothic” by Kim O’Connell. This was taken from a text titled America’s Civil War. The article goes into detail describing the inception of Southern Gothic, in addition to providing readers with a brief survey of famous authors and works of the genre. Beginning with Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom!, we are given a quote that accurately portrays the dark humor and blunt nature so famously seen in Southern Gothic. The article explains that Southern Gothic is, in fact, a subgenre of Gothic fiction. The Gothic genre had its start in the 18th century and quickly became very popular. Gothic was interested in combining elements of horror, romance, and drama. As for the origins of Southern Gothic, we learn that the post Civil-War South was heavily concentrating on writing propaganda in an attempt to boost their image. As all of the tension and bitterness subsided, the following generation of writers looked to the battered South for inspiration, seeing it in a new light. The pioneers of Southern Gothic writing were able to find inspiration in just about everything, from the dilapidated architecture and the torn-apart communities to the countless tales and folklore. This new era of Southern pride led to nothing short of a literary renaissance. This not only helped the country begin to forget about the horrendous war, but also instilled new pride in the South. After years of fighting and sorrow, Southern Gothic helped to once again prove the South’s purpose in the country. What may have at one looked like a war-torn battlefield soon became the canvas for some of the most enduring and important literature in North America. The final section of the article provides readers with a brief survey of the most well-known and influential Southern Gothic writers. Some of these famous names include William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Harper Lee, and Tennessee Williams. Each author helped pioneer this new and revolutionary genre. Some of the most well-known novels of the genre were Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, Wolfe’s Angel and McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Of course, there are many more incredible pieces of literature. While the South’s image was severely damaged after the Civil War as many people began to forget about all of rich history that came from this region, it was this era of writing that demonstrated the South’s necessity to our American history. The way that literature can create such a lasting impact on our own country is nothing short of inspiring.
Works Cited
O’Connell, Kim. “The Rise of Southern Gothic.” America’s Civil War 1 Nov. 2014: 63. Print.