Stown : A Contemporary Piece Of Southern Gothic Literature

Gothicism is a representative of the South’s nobility eventually being defeated after the American Civil War. The characterization of Miss. Strangeworth symbolizes the gothic elements of the South’s “higher society” before the Civil War. The non-participating

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)."

“John B McLemore lives in Shittown, Alabama,” Brian Reed quoted. Many people today can relate to some of the problems John faces in S-Town. Most of these problems are derived from southern gothic characteristics within the podcast. The podcast uses many different southern gothic characteristics in order to make it more interesting. Many of the examples of these characteristics are more modern so that they relate to our current society. S-Town is a piece of contemporary Southern Gothic Literature because of its use of social issues, irony, and outsiders.

There are a lot of theories and opinions that differ between whether Stown is a classic or contemporary part of Southern Gothic Literature. Southern Gothic Literature is a genre of Southern writing that often uses violence and grotesque topics. It also used many other elements that go through the whole story and each element happens multiple times, especially in Stown. The listener was always in suspense and never knew what was going to happen next, especially when John was in the subject. This piece is going to show how each element can contradict each other and how this piece is classic, so as the reader, they are in for a fun ride. How decay, violence and irony can prove that this podcast is classic. Stown is a classic piece of Southern Gothic Literature because of decay, violence and Irony.

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 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

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

The Southern Gothic Genre has shaped the traditions of American Literature. This genre doesn’t deal with the supernaturals. It focuses on real life instead of ghosts, monsters, etc. Traits from this genre include violence, good versus evil, unrequited love, race/class/social structure and being an outsider. Some important stories in Southern Gothic are; ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’, ‘The Possibility of Evil’, and ‘A Rose for Emily’.

Gloomy, violent, ironic and historical would be the most adequate words that come to mind when it comes to describing Southern Gothic literature. Classic Southern Gothic literature is full of chilling and disturbing surprises that leave people puzzled and anxious for more. However, contemporary forms of Southern Gothic literature are just as disturbingly thrilling. Newer Southern Gothics help explain and give insight on a newer world and the issues it beholds. Understanding the effects of the world around allows people to have an insight on a world filled with corruption and violence. Stown gave excellent insight on a world of corruption and violence. From an alleged murder to a puzzling suicide, Brian Reed, with the help of several others, told the heavy-hearted story of worldly problems and a dispirited man named John B. McLemore from Woodstock, Alabama, or in the words of John, ‘Shittown’. With its tactless humor and modern setting, Stown is a contemporary piece of Southern Gothic literature as it examples Southern Gothic elements like decay, violence and irony.

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

In “Parasites and Perverts an Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity” by Judith Halberstam, the disconnect between soul and body, skin and perceived identity of monsters in literature is used to explain how humans are enticed by monsters. This effect is achieved by finding the abnormalities within the monster that abhor it from society and determining why that characteristic exists. Conflicts present in Gothic and Victorian fiction about the body and soul of monsters allow the reader to view the monster’s characteristics realistically to reflect how they connect to humanity and the world. In the Victorian context, the monster is enslaved and entranced by its soul. Meanwhile, in gothic fiction you find that many monsters lose their soul entirely.

There is one known very influential writing style called Gothic Literature. It is not only considered to involve the horror or gothic element but is combined with romance, superstition, women in distress, omens, portents, vision and supernatural events to name a few (Beesly). The history and beginning of this era is not well known. From a few writers came this writing style that has impacted the world. A famous artists known for this type of writing is a man named Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote many short stories and poems that include horror, gothic, and romance just mentioned.

When someone is depressed what they need to do the most is to get help. As an outsider it is helpful to support and encourage the person with depression to get therapy and to try and work through the depression. Also, the person with depression needs emotional support. When people with depression try to speak to a friend a lot of the time they feel like their friend does not understand what they are going through or feeling.

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.