Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination

The Gothic Exhibition at the British Library

This post has been a while in the making!
Last weekend I went to see the Gothic Exhibition in the British Library, which explored the evolution of the Gothic genre from the iconic Castle of Otranto to modern-day Goth subculture- and it was dark and incredible. Spattered throughout with detailed examples of Gothic novels, films, and themes, it moved through the different Gothic eras from proto-Gothic medieval romances to the Whitby Goth Weekend. These were:

• Medieval Romance
• Atmosphere, Romanticism, and the Sublime
• Terror
• Monstrosity and Horror
• Moral and Physical Degeneration
• Modern Gothic Horror

All these were shot through with the supernatural, death, and sensation: we cannot forget Mary Shelley’s summary of the Gothic aim- to “awaken thrilling horror”.
This exhibition, as well as being incredibly useful for my A2 studies, clearly yet fascinatingly showed how the Gothic has changed in our imagination. It was the perfect stimulus to inspire stories, especially, I felt, the tremendous imagery of nature’s power in early Gothic stories like Wuthering Heights and The Mysteries of Udolpho. My favourite element was the “Taste for Terror”, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This phase saw most of the “castles, abbeys, and ruins” in which the Gothic “dealt imaginatively with themes of imprisonment and escape”, and witnessed the budding illicit desires which underpinned much of the 19th century Gothic. This particular era was also influenced (and vice versa) by Romanticism, a link I really enjoyed learning about because the Romantic movement is one of my favourites in literature. As well as the sublime and awe which the power of the imagery inspired, I found the psychological elements absolutely fascinating. Of course, the exciting and the macabre is central to Gothic works, but the insight into the minds of the characters is in my opinion one of the best elements of the Gothic. The dark, twisted cloisters of monasteries, or back alleys of foggy London, are reflected in the dark, twisted paths in the minds of characters like Manfred, Heathcliff, and Frankenstein.

Interestingly, as time has progressed, I would have expected the Gothic to fade as a popular genre, but the exhibition showed how Gothic ideas have seeped through modern culture and into lots of other media. Besides the ever-popular ghost stories, a great range of supernatural creatures are repeatedly and creatively resurrected for new interpretations of Gothic ideas; Twilight and The Walking Dead are certainly familiar parts of popular culture for readers my age.

Going through the exhibition, I definitely found many books to add to my reading list.
1. The Castle of Otranto is one I don’t want to miss; the iconic first ‘Gothic novel’.
2. Having read Jekyll and Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Grey looks to be another exciting insight into the “decadence and degeneration” of the late Victorian Gothic.
3. I really cannot go without reading Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, which did so much to garner the Gothic genre respectability- and I think I shall look forward to adding Ann Radcliffe to my compilation of Ladies of Literature!

Unfortunately, the exhibition is now closed, but I am extremely pleased I went. Since it isn’t possible for me to recommend that you visit it, I advise instead that you find a Gothic novel, or hopefully several, to read. The genre is so intriguing and absorbing, I absolutely believe everyone will enjoy some aspect of it.

Quotes, unless otherwise stated, are taken from The Exhibition Guide to Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination. Photographs from left: Jim Kay/Jim Kay’s A Monster Calls; Henry Fuseli, Hamlet and His Father’s Ghost.