Posts about Gomez and Morticia Addams are almost always uplifting and Iâm happy to have them on my dash, but I think my favorite bit about this conversation is what Gomez is actually saying to Fester.
Itâs nobodyâs surprise that many of the aesthetic and thematic elements of The Addams Family in its various incarnations are influenced by Gothic tradition (not goth, that mostly came later. And not Goth, that was much much much too early), and I think Gomezâs words are a dead bullseye in terms of Gothic mentality.
âMake her feel like sheâs the most sublime creature on earthâ
The sublime is a recurring theme throughout Gothic literature. Although the word (like âawesomeâ) has lost a lot of itâs original luster over the intervening decades, sublime doesnât really mean elevated and lofty (or even heavenly) as itâs often used today, but rather something possessing the power and grandeur to induce awe and veneration in the mind of the beholder. Although less than divine, something sublime possessed a wildness and power that transcended human ability to controlâŠor even to comprehend.
Sublime is standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon leaning as far as you dare over the railing and still not being able to see the canyon floor below. Sublime is warrior-queen Galadriel being tempted by the One Ring. Sublime is waking up in the middle of the night in the heart of a wild thunderstorm.
âMake her feel like sheâs the most sublime creature on earthâ
Gomez isnât advising Fester to treat a woman he fancies like a princess, or even elevate her to pedestal of angelic nature (whoâs idea was it to equate femininity with purity anyway? What a laughable and historically damaging idea. Shame on whatever dead (probably) white dudes promoted that!)
Gomez is advising Fester that if he truly loves a woman he must do everything he can to remind her of how sheâs an untameable force of nature whoâs grandeur brings him to his knees in awe and terror. Just like Morticia, for Gomez.
Iâll sign off with one of my most favorite quotes of all time, because it feels suddenly very relevant:
âWhen I find myself surrounded by so much beauty, I feel as if I am the eye of a hurricane.â