| Southern Gothic |
Article Index for Southern |
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Information About ™Southern Gothic |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SOUTHERN GOTHIC | |
| literary genres | |
| american literature | |
| speculative fiction | |
| southern united states | |
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The Southern Gothic author usually avoids perpetuating Antebellum stereotypes like the ''contented Slave '', the ''demure Southern Belle '', the ''chivalrous gentleman'', or the ''righteous Christian preacher''. Instead, the writer takes classic Gothic Archetypes , such as the Damsel In Distress or the heroic Knight , and portrays them in a more modern and realistic manner — transforming them into, for example, a spiteful and reclusive Spinster , or a white-suited, fan-brandishing lawyer with ulterior motives. One of the most notable features of the Southern Gothic is " The Grotesque " — this includes situations, places, or Stock Character s that often possess some cringe-inducing qualities, typically Racial Bigotry and Egotistical self-righteousness — but enough good traits that readers finds themselves interested nevertheless. While often disturbing, Southern Gothic authors often use deeply flawed, grotesque characters for greater narrative range and more opportunities to highlight unpleasant aspects of Southern Culture , without being too literal or appearing to be overly Moralistic . This genre of writing is seen in the work of such famous Southern writers as William Faulkner , Flannery O'Connor , Harry Crews , Jill McCorkle , Lee Smith , Lewis Nordan , Barry Hannah , Carson McCullers , Erskine Caldwell , Eudora Welty , Harper Lee , Truman Capote , Tennessee Williams , John Kennedy Toole , and Cormac McCarthy among others. Tennessee Williams described Southern Gothic as a style that captured "an intuition, of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience." SEE ALSO Notable works
Historical incidents |