Elements Of Southern Gothic Literature

In the 19th century, the Southern Gothic genre quickly became popular after Edgar Allen Poe poems in the 18th century. Most writings were formed around the Civil War era, which plays an enormous part in the tone and setting in Southern Gothic writing styles. (O’Connell 63) Southern Gothic writing elements consist of “horror, romance and psychological and domestic dramas” (63). The setting of Southern Gothic was always dingy and dark which explains the tone of most southern states at this time. Southern Gothic writing styles were known to be grotesque, violent and gloomy with dark psychological twists that were to be carried on into the 20th century. There can also be other ways to exercise Southern Gothic styles like including strange events, paranormal elements and representing history in an almost comical approach. (63) There are some authors who have written very influential Southern Gothic style literature, such as A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Good Country People by Flannery O’Conner.

Southern Gothic literature, which is a sub-genre of the Gothic writing style, is unique to the American South. Southern Gothic literature has many of the same aspects as Gothic literature; it focuses on topics such as death, madness, and the super natural as well has having many mystical, bizarre, violent, and grotesque aspects. These tools are used "to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South (Wikipedia)."

S-Town is a contemporary piece of Southern Gothic Literature because of the use of social issues, outsiders, and violence. Southern Gothic literature has been around since the early nineteenth century. This type of writing deals with the moral issues and conflicts surrounding the South. More contemporary versions of Southern Gothic Literature can be found today and differ greatly from classic pieces due to the elements inserted throughout the plot. Southern Gothic pieces of literature such as S-Town teach many moral lessons that people of today’s time can relate to. Elements such as social issues, violence, and the portrayal of outsiders make up the structure of the genre. S-Town is a contemporary piece of Southern Gothic Literature because of the use of social issues, outsiders, and violence.

Have you ever realized that something has changed over time from its original definition? Well southern gothic literature is no exception, this type of literature is now known as contemporary southern gothic literature. You should listen to the paper because it talks about the gradual development of classic southern gothic literature to a more contemporary piece. Even Though many of the characteristics of classic southern gothic literature still mean the same thing, the audience catches the a few slight differences. S-town is a contemporary piece of southern gothic literature, because it contains a lot of irony, violence, and outsiders.

Southern gothic is a type of literature that focuses on the harsh conflicts of violence and racism, which is observed in the perspective of black and white individuals. Some of the most familiar southern authors are William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Cormac McCarthy. One author in particular, Flannery O’Connor, is a remarkable author, who directly reflects upon southern grotesque within her two short stories, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Revelation.” These two short stories are very similar to each other, which is why I believe that O’Connor often writes with violent characters to expose real violence in the world while tying them in with a particular spiritual insight.

Southern gothic literature underscores the unpleasant aspects of southern culture. These issues are exposed through grotesque characters, including those who are physically deformed, mentally deficient, or deeply flawed. Many of the characters struggle to make sense of the surrounding world and find a place in society. Southern gothic authors are iconoclasts, criticizing southern culture and revealing the anti-social idiosyncrasies of humanity, especially in the face of difficulty. Among these authors is William Faulkner, who is often recognized for his exceptional southern gothic style.

Southern Gothic literature is a sub-genre of the Gothic writing style. It is unique to Southern America. Southern gothic style is a style of writing that engages very ugly and ironic events to study the value of the American south and its people. In this essay, I’m going to go over each story and give some details about the authors and their backgrounds. On one page, I will be comparing and contrasting all three stories. I will show how they’re similar through tone, plot, and scene in the story. And at the end, I am going to describe the three stories; “A Rose for Emilycomma inside quotes”, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, and “Sanctuary”. Period inside quotes All of these short stories are good examples of southern gothic writing, because

The Southern Gothic qualities of violence, outsider and good vs. evil are evident in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, Shirley Jackson’s “The Possibility of Evil”, and William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily”. These stories fits the traits of the Southern Gothic Genre.

Southern Gothic literature has been a popular literary genre since the early 19th century and that popularity continues today. Southern Gothic cannot be defined in one sentence, as it has

Throughout the course of history, literature has gone through considerable changes. Dating back to its humble beginnings in folklore, fables, and storytelling all the way up to the scientific books and dramatic novels of today. Literature is arguably the centerpiece of all mankind. It is useful for record keeping, education, and bringing cultures and societies together. It has allowed us to expand our minds by painting a picture of the beautiful places this world has to offer outside of our corners of the earth. One genre of literature I find especially intriguing is Southern Gothic Literature. It is a subclass of gothic fiction, specifically set

First, to begin by discussing what Southern Gothic is. “Southern Gothic is a mode or genre prevalent in literature from the early 19th century to this day. Characteristics of Southern Gothic include the presence of irrational, horrific, and transgressive thoughts, desires, and impulses; grotesque characters; dark, humor, and overall angst-ridden sense of alliteration” (Bjerre). Faulkner is widely known for his grotesque descriptions of Yoknapatawpha County and character description.

Violence can be described as a behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Violence has been around from the beginning and can be seen through history in writing and events that occurred. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, violence’s jarring effects on societal members are evidenced through various relationships and partnerships, portraying society’s corrupt ideologies and ethics.

Southern gothic literature is more of a dark and filled with violence type of story. An example is S-town. Stown is more of a contemporary piece of Southern gothic literature due to the fact of the twist of the story behind John B. Macklemore from Woodstock, Alabama. By the time a reader is done listening to this podcast, they should be able to take away a lot of different ideas from it. Some being how life in the South used to be. Not only that but also how it can relate to things now, but some events in S-town could also happen to this day. S-town shows a more recent form of a Southern gothic literature that brings things more to the 21 century. This podcast contains many different examples of characteristics that make it a Southern gothic, but it also has a bit of a different twist to most Southern gothics. S-town is a contemporary piece of southern gothic literature because of it’s use of macabre and grotesque, social issues, and the southern setting.

Southern gothic literature, which is a sub-genre of the gothic writing style, is unique to the American South. Southern Gothic literature has many of the same aspects as Gothic literature, since they both focus on topics such as death, madness, violent and grotesque aspects. The difference is, that Southern gothic literature, elements such as irony, violence, social and unusual events are pretty much what help shape and mold the base of the story. Understanding the effects of each southern gothic element, provides insight on a southern world full of hypocrisy. They also show how each element has an impact on southern gothic literature and how S-Town is a perfect example of contemporary gothic literature, since it contains the elements of irony, violence and social issues. Contemporary literature features a somewhat modern narrative, but it also contains a harsher reality. Contemporary literature tends to be influenced by the successful lifestyle that followed WWII, but is rooted in the devastation that war brought to the world.

As Brian and John B. Mclemore walk through the maze John had built himself, John exclaims “It’s kind of funny being lost in something you designed yourself.” This ironic statement perfectly describes the life of John in this piece of southern gothic literature. The story of John’s eccentric life is told spectacularly told by Brian Reed in Stown. Stown’s southern setting and values makes it a piece of southern gothic literature, but Stown goes further and relates to today making it more contemporary. S-town is a contemporary piece of southern gothic literature because of the social issues, decay, and irony it presents throughout.