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qqz.
Editedby
CHRIS
BALDICK
OxfordNetv
YorkOXFORDUNIVERSIT
YPRESS
1992
jfheOxford
Bookof
GOTHIC
TALES
z“-3
0
Cn-3
0z
IntroductionIntroduction
orsomesuch
nomenclature
justasunsatisfactory.Butbefore
wecan
seeour way
throughsuch
furthertangles,we
willneedtolook
backinto
thecom
monsource
ofthesedivergentsenses
of‘Gothic’.Initsearliest
sense,the
word
issim
plythe
adjectivedenoting
thelanguage
andethnic
identityofthe
Goths:
theGerm
anicpeoples,
firstheardofupon
theshores
oftheBaltic,w
hoselater
maraudings
andmigrations
fromthe
thirdtothe
fifthcentury
ADtook
themacross
southernEurope
fromthe
BlackSea
tothe
Iberianpeninsula,
fatallyweakening
theRom
anempire
inthe
faceoffurther‘barbarian’
incursions.Long
afterthey
disappearedinto
theethnic
melting
potsofthe
northernMediterranean,
theirfearful
namewas
takenand
usedtoprop
upone
sideofthat
setofcultural
oppositionsbywhich
theRenaissance
anditsheirs
definedand
claimedposses
sionofEuropean
civilization:Northern
versusSouthern,
Gothic
versusGraeco-Rom
an,Dark
Agesversus
theAge
ofEnlightenment,
medievalversus
modern,
barbarityversus
civility,superstitionversus
Reason.Asrevised
bynorthern
Protestantnationalisms,the
‘map’
ofthese
contrarieswould
beturned
aboutsothatthe
southernCatholic
culturescould
berepresented
asthe
barbarouslysuperstitious
antagonist;
butthe
essentialshape
ofthe
polaritywould
persistasthe
foundingmythology
ofmodern
Europeand
itsinternal
tensions.In
thedrastic
simplifications
ofsuch
aschem
e,atelescoping
ofhis
toricalperiods
thatmerged
the‘Dark
Ages’ofRom
e’sdecline
withthe
more
flourishingcondition
ofthe
laterMiddle
Ages,lum
pingtogether
theOstrogothic
warriorofthe
thirdcentury
withthe
learnedParisian
monk
ofthethirteenth,was
notconsideredananachronism
somuch
asanecessary
verdicton
centuriesofunproductive
prehistory.So
althoughthe
Goths
themselves
neverconstructed
asingle
Gothic
cathedral,norcomposed
anyGothic
fiction,theselatersenses
ofGothic
stillhave
arecognizable
meaning
byvirtue
oftheirpolar
oppositionto
the‘Classical’
architecturaland
literarytraditions
derivedfrom
Greece
andRom
e.Accordingly,
bythe
lateeighteenth
century‘Gothic’
wascom
monly
usedtomean
‘medieval,
thereforebarbarous’,
inalargely
unquestionedequation
ofcivilization
withclassical
standards.The
earlyliterary
senseofGothic
isfounded
uponthis
usage,denoting,asinthe
subtitleofH
oraceWalpole’s
TheC’astle
ofOtranto:AGothic
Story(1764),
atale
concernedwith
thebrutality,cruelty,and
superstitionof the
Middle
Ages.Theassum
edsuperiority
ofspecificallyclassical
culturethen
tendstobeeroded
bythe
challengeofthe
Romantic
Movem
ent,but
thererem
ainother
termsofopposition—
themodern,
theenlightened,
therational—
whichserve
tohold
thepejorative
senseofG
othicinitsplace.U
nlikexl’
‘Romantic’,
then,‘Gothic’
inits
literaryusage
neverbecom
esa
positiveterm
ofculturalrevaluation,
butcarries
vithit (even
among
antiquarianenthusiasts
formedieval
art,such
asWalpole,
theAikins,and
theirfollowers)
anidentification
ofthemedieval with
thebarbaric.A
Gothic
novelortale
will almostcertainly
offendclassical
tastesand
rationalprinciples,
butitwill
notdo
soby
urgingany
positiveview
ofthe
Middle
Ages.Inthis
important
respectliterary
Gothicism
differscrucially
fromserious
medieval
revivalismofthe
kindfound
inthe
mature
phaseofthe
Gothic
Revivalinarchitecture:
here,the
viewsofthe
Catholicconvert
Augustus
Welby
Puginand
ofJohn
Rusldneffected
inthe
nineteenthcentury
arehabilita
tionofthe
Middle
Agesasthe
greatage
ofFaith
andofsocial
responsibility, radicallyrevising
theterm
‘Gothic’tomean
‘Christian’incontradistinction
tothe
corruptlypagan
traditionof the
Renaissance.The
term‘Neo-G
othic’used
forthe
Victorian
architecturalstyle
soendorsed
would
beentirely
unsuitablefor
theliterary
Gothickry
ofPugin’s
orRuskin’s
contemporaries,
becausethe
implied
valuationsof m
edievallifeare
sodifferent in
eithercase.Such
acontrasthelps
toclarif
thefact
thatthe
most
troublesomeaspect
ofthe
term‘Gothic’
is,indeed,that literaryGothic
isreally
anti-Gothic.
Theanti-G
othicismofGothic,
bywhich
Imean
itsingrained
distrustofmedieval
civilizationand
itsrepresentation
ofthe
pastprim
arilyinterm
softyranny
andsuperstition,
hastaken
severalform
s, fromthe
vigilant Protestantxenophobiasostrongly
evidentinthe
firsthalf-centuryofG
othicwriting, to
therationalist fem
inismof
AngelaCarter’s
fiction.Inwhatever
form, ithas
persistedas
amajor
elementofthe
tradition,eventhough
itssignificance
hastended
tobe
disguisedby
theapparent
indulgenceofarchaic
superstitionsand
barbarousenergies. Atfirst sight, G
othicfiction
mayappear,as
itdidtomany
anxiousreaders
inthe
lateeighteenth
century,assom
esort
ofirresponsible
relapseinto
theold
delusionsof
abenighted
age,nostalgically
glamorizing
theworstfeatures
ofapast
fromwhich
wehave
thankfullyescaped.
Someattraction
tothe
imagined
vitalityof
pastages
isindeed
alwaysthere
inGothic,
butthis
appealconsists
principallyinthe
imaginative
freedomsand
symbolic
possibilitiesof
discardedfolk
beliefs,not
inany
faithactually
attachedtothem
.When
Gothic
fictionhas
employed
theghostly
apparitionsand
omens
ofarchaiclore
(andithas
notalwaysneeded
theiraid
atall),ithas
atthe
sametimeplaced
themunderstrong
suspicionaspart ofa
cruellyrepressive
anddeluded
past.There
isoften
akind
ofhom
eopathicprinciple
at workhere, in
theway
that Gothic
writers
haveborrow
edthe
fablesand
nightmares
ofapast
ageinorder
torepudiate
their
xlii
introductionIntroduction
authority:just
asthe
consciouslyProtestant
pioneersofthe
Gothic
novelraisethe
oldghosts
ofCatholicEurope
onlytoexorcize
them,
soinalater
agethe
fictionofA
ngelaCarter
hasexploited
thepow
erof
apatriarchal
folklore,allthe
bettertoexpose
anddispel
itsgrip
uponus.
Inthe
earlydays
ofGothic
writing,the
stronganxieW
among
bothcritics
andpractitioners
ofGothic
fictionabout
therisks
ofdabbling
inbygone
superstition,and
especiallyabout
theperm
issibleuse
of supernaturalincidentswas
animated
byawatchful
Protestantfearofpopery
anditsimaginative
snares.Itis
noaccident
atallthat
Gothic
fictionfirst
emerged
andestablished
itselfwithin
theBritish
andAnglo-Irish
middle
class,in
asociety
whichhad
throughgenerations
ofwarfare,
politicalscares,
andpopular
mar
tvrologvpersuaded
itselfthat
itshard-w
onliberties
couldatany
moment
besnatched
fromitby
papal tyrannyand
theruthless
wilesofthe
SpanishInquisition.
Atthe
foundationofGothic
literature’santi-G
othicsentim
entlies
thisnightm
areofbeing
draggedback
tothe
persecutionsofthe
Counter-Reformation;
andsothe
novelsand
talesofthe
earlyGothic
writers
arepeopled
byschem
ingFranciscan
poisoners,depraved
abbesses,fearsom
eInquisitors,
anddiabolical
murderers
fromevery
monastic
order,plotting
againsthelpless
maidens
whohave
beenforced
against theirwillsinto
thehypocrisies
ofaconventual
regime.Sym
ptomatic
ofthisnightm
areworld
isthe
familiar
contortionbywhich
theGothic
writer
hastoprovide
forthe
heroand
heroineofthe
talesom
ereassuring
Protestantcredentials
bymaking
them,although
Roman
Catholic,secretly
immune
fromthe
impostures
oftheir
ownfaith.
Thedifferences
oftenobserved
between
competing
schoolsofearly
Gothic
fictiononthe
groundsof
theirdeploym
entofexplicable
orinexplicable
supernaturaleffects
disappearinto
unanimity
onthe
matter
ofCatholic
superstition,which
isrelentlessly
satirizedand
condemned.
Thedistrust
which
Gothicism
showstow
ardsthe
bugbearsof
adiscarded
mythology
may
behighlighted
helpfullybycontrast
withthe
principlesofthe
orthodoxghost
story.In
spiteoftheir
consanguinity
andtheir
many
mutualborrow
ings,thetwo
traditionscan
beseen
asmutually
opposedonthis
point.There
isavery
familiar
model
followedby
many
ghoststories
inEnglish
fromthe
earlytwentieth
century:this
usuallybegins
withanassem
blyofgentlem
engathered
atadinner-table
orinaLondon
club,debating
theexist
enceofspirits.
Thenanervous-looking
member
ofthe
company
pipesup
withhis
first-handaccount
of theinexplicable
occurrencesatacountry
househehas
rentedfor
aweekend,
where
thespooky
goings-onhave
reachedthe
pointatwhich
theservants
havegiven
xiv
notice.At
theclose
ofhis
narrative,the
materialist
doubtersare
silenced,and
somemoralizing
ismade
tothe
effectthat
thereare
more
thingsinheaven
andearth,
Horatio,
thanare
dreamtofin
thenarrotv
secular philosophiesof bolshevists,suffragettes,and
theother
democratic
do-goodersofthis
rationalistage.Mylittle
travestydoes
nojustice
tomany
more
sophisticatedwriters
whohave
worked
inthis
genre,but
readerstvho
havebrow
sedatany
lengthinghost-
lorewill
immediately
recognizethe
typeand
itsconventions.
Theostensible
pointofthe
ghoststory
(evenwhen
theauthor
maypri
vatelybe
anunbeliever)
istoconvince
thesceptical
readerofthe
palpableexistence
of phantoms.The
conservativetendency
ofsuch
taleslies
intheir
dedicationtoovercom
ingmodern
scepticismon
behalfofanolder belief w
hichhas
beenfoolishly
abandoned.Gothic
fiction,on
theother
hand,usually
showsno
suchrespect
forthe
wisdom
ofthe
past,and
indeedtends
toportray
former
agesas
prisonsofdelusion.
Thissurvey
ofthe
difficultiesinvolved
inthe
term‘Gothic’
inliterature
hassofarconsidered
thetwo
problemsof its
anachronisticorigins
andits
possibleconfusion
withmore
positivemedievalist
sensestowhich
itisinfact
hostile.There
remains
afurther
warn
ingtobe
made
againstany
inflexibleidentification
ofGothic
withspecifically
medievalsettings.
Asthis
traditionof fiction
hasevolved,
ithasadapted
thearchaic
atmosphere
ofearlyGothic
fiction, withits
usualtimeofaction
inthe
lateMiddle
Agesorthe
earlymodern
period,tolater
periods,even
insom
ecases
tothe
writer’s
owntime.
fthas
donethis
byabstracting
certainleading
featuresofthese
originalGothic
settings,retaining
especiallythe
enclosedspaces
ofthe
oldbuilding,
withfurther
associationsofthe
past’sdestructive
cruelty.The
modern
timeofw
ritingwhich
isset againstthe
Gothic
past eventuallycom
esround
tobeing
thepastof succeeding
generations
ofreaders
andwriters;
andso
bythe
1930Swe
findF.M.
Mayor
andIsak
Dinesen
bothsetting
theirstories
inthe
earlynine
teenthcentury,
nowbecom
ea‘Gothic’
perioditself,
itscustom
scruelly
repressiveintwentieth-century
eyes.In
principleand
inpractice
itisperfectly
possibletohave
aGothic
storyset
inthe
author’sown
time,provided
thatthe
talefocuses
uponarelatively
enclosedspace
inwhich
someantiquated
barbariccode
still prevails.For
instance,Conan
Doyle’sstory
‘TheAdventure
oftheSpeckled
Band’isset ata
timewithin
theliving
memory
ofallitsfirst readers,
butwithin
anancestral
mansion
lockedinto
anarchaic
formof
domestic
tyranny.Dislodged
fromthe
specificassociation
withthe
Middle
Ageswhich
gaveitits
name,the
Gothic
hasbecom
einsuch
Ixv
I
—
II
iiiI
IIii I
Introduction
thatGothic
fictionischaracteristically
obsessedwith
oldbuildings
assites
ofhum
andecay.
TheGothic
castleorhouse
isnot
justan
oldand
sinisterbuilding;
itis
ahouse
ofdegeneration,
evenof
decomposition,
itsliving-space
darkeningand
contractinginto
thedying-space
of themortuary
andthe
tomb.Although
Gothic
fictioncan
workwith
otherkinds
ofenclosedspace,
iftheseare
sufficientlyisolated
andintroverted—
convents,prisons,
schools,madhouses,
evensmall
villages—itisstill
thedark
mansion
thatoccupies
itscentral
ground.Doubling
asboth
fictionalsetting
andasdom
inantsym
bol,the
housereverberates
foruswith
associationswhich
aresim
ultaneouslypsychological
andhistorical.
Asakind
offolk-
psychologyset
instone,
theGothic
houseisreadily
legibletoour
post-Freudianculture,so
wecan
recognizeinitsstructure
thecrvpts
andcellars
ofrepresseddesire,the
atticsand
belfriesofneurosis,just
aswe
acceptPoe’simitation
toread
thehaunted
palaceofthe
poeminhis
taleasthe
allegoryofa
madm
an’shead.
Lessoften
remarked,
however,despiteallthe
signsthrow
noutby
Gothic
fiction—from
thestatus
ofits
characterstothe
verydecor
ofits
settings—isthe
mansion’s
historicalresonance.
Somefurther
commentary
mayhelp
tobring
outthisrather
neglecteddim
ensionofthe
Gothic.
Itiscustom
arytoaccount
forthe
appealofGothic
fictionby
referenceto
aset ofuniversaland
timeless
dreadsusually
referredto
as‘our
deepestfears’.
Andsom
esuch
commonrepertoire
ofsharedanxieties,including
thefearofdeath,ofdecay,and
ofconfinement,is
almostcertainty
involvedinboth
thecreation
ofGothic
worksand
thereader’s
responsetothem
.Thedifficulty
withthis
generalizingclaim
,though,
isthat
Gothic
writing
summons
upthese
fearsonly
within
itsown
peculiarfram
ework
ofconventions,
tvhosespecial
featurescannot
beexplained
directlybyany
nameless
dreadthat
Gothic
hasincom
mon
withvery
differentfictional
formslike
thefolk-tale,
theancient
myth,
ormost
modern
horrorstories.
Unlike
thefear
ofdeath,
Gothic
fictionisneither
immemorial
norglobal,
butbelongs
specificallytothe
modern
ageofEurope
andthe
Americas
sincethe
endof
theeighteenth
century;and
itismarked
bythis
limited
locationand
historyinways
thathelpdifferentiate
itfurtherfrom
thegenerality
offearfulnarratives.
Prominentam
ongitsspecial
featuresis
apreoccupation
withthe
inheritedpow
ersand
corruptionsof
feudalaristocracy,
andwith
similar
lineagesand
agenciesofarchaic
authority,which
caninclude
thepseudo-aristocracies
oftheAmerican
Southand
themonastic
hierarchiesofthe
RomanCatholic
Church.Sowhile
itwouldbepossible
toconcocta
passablehorrorstory
aboutthe
misdeeds
ofsay,a
dangerouslysadistic
bankmanageror
dentist,xx
Introduction
onewould
notbewriting
aGothic
talcunless
onelinked
thesubject-
matter
insom
eway
tothe
antiquatedtyrannies
anddynastic
corruptions
ofanaristocratic
poweroratleast
ofaproud
oldprovincial
family.
Moulding
ourcom
mon
existentialdread
intothe
morepar
ticularshapes
ofGothic
fiction,then,
isaset
of‘historical
fears’focusing
uponthe
memory
ofanage-old
regimeofoppression
andpersecution
which
threatensstill to
fixitsdead
handupon
us.Asthe
briefaccount of earlyGothic
fictiongiven
aboveshould
alreadyhave
suggested,these
fearsfirst
tookthe
formofnervous
Protestantfascination
with
Catholicaristocrats
andmonks;
but asthis
sectarianalarm
subsided,the
Gothic
traditioncontinued
tofeed
uponthe
sinisterallure
of nobledynasties
orlesser
familyautocracies.
Itisa
middle-class
tradition,anditsanxiety
maybecharacterized
brieflyas
afear of historical reversion;thatis,of the
naggingpossibility
thatthedespofism
sburied
bythe
modem
agemayprove
tobeyet undead.
Inthis
contextitmaybeworth
speculatingthat
thefigure
ofthevam
pire(which
hashardly
anyprom
inenceinearly
Gothic
writing)
probablycarries
agreater
importance
intwentieth-century
mythology
thanit ever
didforTransylvanian
villagersincenturies
past, andthat
thisisbecause
itencapsulates
foramore
democratic
ageafantasy
model of decadentaristocratic
crueltywhich
weneed
tosacrifice
overand
overagain. Thosemillions
of uswho
descend, howeverrem
otely,from
peasantstock
ratherthan
fromthe
bloodofprinces
must,
itseem
s,derive
somenecessary
reassurancefrom
thesefictional
ritesof
exorcism.The
mainstream
non-vampiric
traditionsof
Gothic
fictiongive
ussom
ethingsim
ilar,tothe
extentthat theyre-enactand
implicitly
celebratethe
extinctionof their
fearsomedynastic
houses.Justw
hywe
shouldfeel
am’need
toreassure
ourselvesmayseem
tobethe
realmystery
here:after
all,the
flastillefell long
ago,and,
asJane
Austen
reminded
thereaders
ofGothic
novelsinNorthanger
Ahh’,itis not so
easythese
daystobekidnapped
andassassinated
byanItalian
count.One
kindof answ
ertothis
riddlemaybeindicated
byconsidering
thenoticeable
prominence
ofwomen
inthe
Gothic
tradition,as
popularand
influentialauthors,
ascentral
fictionalcharacters,
andasdevoted
readers.Gothic
fictionhas
longbeen
presidedover by
AnnRadcliffe
andher
female
successors,commonly
employing
theRadcliffean
model
ofthe
heroineenclosed
inthe
master’s
house:aform
ulapersistently
re-worked
inthe
popularvariety
ofwomen’s
fictionstill known
asthe
‘Gothic
romance’,w
hosedescent
canbe
tracedback
throughDaphne
duMaurier’s
Rebeccaand
CharlotteBrontë’s
Janefj’re.
Itismore
thanlikely
thatthis
enduringadoption
ofGothic
fictionbywomen
hastodo
withthe
Lxxi
II:III
Sb
I
I
—I
I
Recommended