#southernspell

[generallygothic]

"𝕳𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖑𝖊𝖊𝖕𝖋𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊, 𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖑𝖞 𝖔𝖓 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖔𝖋𝖙𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖓 𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖘, 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉..." - Cormac McCarthy 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 Buildings, houses, and homes have been a recurring trope throughout this month's 🥀Southern Spell🥀. So far, I have only shared literature from my [forever ongoing because I heart it very much] exploration of the Southern Gothic, which means that without existing knowledge or ability to visualise an author's descriptions with complete precision, the types of buildings I'm discussing may be unfamiliar to you. The range of architecture within the Southern Gothic is grand and imposing, humble, rickety, and/or decaying... I may gather a portfolio of dream houses and nightmarish history to share on the blog with a more in-depth look at the architecture of the American south one day, but for now, here's a quick glimpse through the iconic photography of Dorothea Lange (1895 - 1965). Pictured is an antebellum plantation house built before the Civil War. Photographed in 1937, it is a shadow of its proud former self. Swipe for a glimpse at the faded interior, and the woman who, along with her partner, made home of it then. To learn more about the American Civil War and its influence on the uniquely American Southern Gothic subgenre, check out my latest blog post. 🔗: in bio. 🕷 📖The Readalong: Week 4📖 Seeking southern god(s) in 'The Paperhanger', by William Gay (2000). 🔗: PDF in bio. Will you join me? 🕷 📸: Antebellum Plantation, Greene County, Georgia, Dorothea Lange, 1937. . #southernspell #southerngothic #bookstagram #bookish #readalong #bookclub #gothicliterature #bookworm #books #spookynerd #academic #americanliterature #americangothic #literaryhistory #darkacademia #spookynerd #civilwar #history #americangothicarchitecture #blackandwhitephotography #dorothelange #1930s #slavery #antiracism #antebellumarchitecture #plantation #southerarchitecture #cormacmccarthy #southernhouse #suttree https://www.instagram.com/p/CDMAlpoAsxE/?igshid=tn04gbcleugm

[generallygothic]

"[𝕴]𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖈 𝖎𝖘 𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖞 𝖎𝖙𝖘 𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖑 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖝𝖙, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖆𝖑𝖘𝖔 𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖌𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖈 𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊." - Teresa A Goddu 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 Situated firmly in the Civil War’s south, the narrative events of William Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’ (1930) span roughly 70 years. The short story begins following the death of the titular Miss Emily Grierson who, born around the time of the Civil War, places the narrative present day around 1930. As mayor of the fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi, where the narrative is set, Colonel Sartoris is representative of former southern glory. He is the wealthy, powerful, white man; charming and problematic in equal measure. He is racist, and he looks favourably upon Miss Emily as a relic of these same elitist ideals. Miss Emily is a remnant of the past, now dead. Upon crossing the threshold of her private gothic space, the townsfolk’s impression of Miss Emily is shattered. In its place is a haunting reality – an image that grows more horrific the longer you look… I have put together a history of the American Civil War (which I appreciate will be very familiar to some of you, and totally new to others) to provide context for your responses to 'A Rose for Emily'. 🔗: link in bio, which includes prompts to get you thinking! I'd love to know what you thought of 'A Rose for Emily', of Miss Emily, of her house, of her hair... The PDF is still in bio - it's not too late to join! 🕷 📖The Readalong: Week 4📖 For the final week, I will be seeking southern god(s) in 'The Paperhanger', by William Gay (2000). Will you join me? 🔗: PDF in bio. . #southerngothic #southernspell #williamfaulkner #aroseforemily #southernamerican #southernliterature #americangothic #americanliterature #shortstory #faulkner #modernist #gothic #gothicliterature #bookworm #bookclub #bookish #bookstagram #readalong #bookclub #spookynerd #generallygothic #currentlyreading #williamgay #thepaperhanger #horror #bookreview #bookblogger #academia #darkacademia https://www.instagram.com/p/CDB-coLAAxS/?igshid=2ic3m6n6f1op

[generallygothic]

"𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖉𝖔𝖌. 𝕳𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖙𝖔𝖔. 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖉. 𝕴𝖙 𝖎𝖘 𝖌𝖔𝖓𝖊, 𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖌𝖔𝖓𝖊." - Cormac McCarthy 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 At the very core of the gothic is architecture. It provides the language and landscape of the literature. Out of a house the first gothic story erupted in 1764... which in turn had a house (albeit an immodest one, i.e. a castle) directly at its centre. Though Faulkner is commonly thought of as the progenitor of the Southern Gothic, as I suggested on Friday, the subgenre arguably began nearly a hundred years earlier with Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher', which also has a pivotally placed house. Alongside the architecture, duality and division are key elements of the specifically Southern Gothic. Devoid of grand or dilapidated (under the weight of heavy history) architecture of the American south in my current location, I came across this waterside structure the other day, which brought Cormac McCarthy's semi-autobiographical novel 'Suttree' (1979, set in 1950s Tennessee) to mind. According to Willard P. Greenwood, author of 'Reading Cormac McCarthy', the titular Cornelius Suttree "inhabits a simultaneous gothic and comic atmosphere. The poverty, drinking, and homelessness provide the gothic sensibility..." I find it interesting that a subgenre which begins with the literal fall of a family home, and all that that symbolises, is exploring homelessness by the middle of the next century. The varied experiences of homelessness are explored in Suttree, Harrogate, and Michael "the Indian". The role of the house remains pivotal; its absence in McCarthy transcends the gothic beyond loss of wealth and family to the tumultuous lack of basic security. Greenwood is right; 'Suttree' is many things. It is deep, poetic, utterly depressing, infurtiating, continually comical, and, as a result, undeniably gothic. . #suttree #cormacmccarthy #southerngothic #southernspell #bookstagram #bookworm #bookreview #bookish #americangothic #southern #gothicnovel #americanfiction #spookynerd #academic #englishliterature #americanloliterature #gothicgenre #poe #edgarallanpoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CCjmabFAj1F/?igshid=h0wlqrexqphu

[generallygothic]

𝕴𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖌𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖈 𝖉𝖔𝖔𝖒 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖌𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖒, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕬𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝕾𝖔𝖚𝖙𝖍 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖊𝖘 𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓'𝖘 '𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗'. - Teresa Goddu 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷 It seems logical to begin the 🥀Southern Spell🥀 with a definition of the Southern Gothic, but it's not as simple as that... Nothing ever is in the [capitalised or not?] gothic [genre... or mode?]! The evolution of the Southern Gothic is something I'll be exploring throughout the month, with the help of texts like these. For now, I will offer the following quote, which begins to identify the significance of place within the Southern Gothic: "The American Gothic is most recognisable as a regional form. Identified with gothic doom and gloom, the American South serves as the nation's 'other', becoming the repository for everything from which the nation wishes to dissociate itself. The benighted South is able to support the irrational impulses of the gothic that the nation as a whole, born of Enlightenment ideals, cannot." - Teresa Goddu 🤔: Where do you turn to for genre definitions? Is there an encyclopedia of literature/the gothic I should know about? 📚: I am due some bookmail tomorrow, so stay tuned for readalong announcements then! 🔗: If you're seeking a quick Gothic read with a strong sense of place, check out the top link in bio for a review of 'The Hala Tree Walks in Darkness', complete with a link to read the short story free online in @new_gothic_review Vol.! . #southerngothic #southernspell #americangothic #gothicnovel #gothicfiction #horror #americanliterature #genre #classicliterature #gothic #generallygothic #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookish #bookworm #academia #reading #generallygothic #spookynerd #darkacademia #faulkner #beloved #tonimorrison #flanneryoconnor #cormacmccarthy #readalong #bookstack #bookmail https://www.instagram.com/p/CCJ5aGVgE8p/?igshid=1kmuiulwq3mqd

[generallygothic]

The final 🥀Southern Spell🥀 blog post is up: 'True Detective' Season 1 Analysis, Part 2: 'The Eternality of the Gothic'. 🔗: Link in bio. As Rust says "like a lot of dreams, there's a monster at the end of it," which brings us neatly onto the month 🧟‍♂️Of Monsters and Men🧟‍♂️, which will take place for the duration of August. 📸: 'True Detective' still, HBO. . #generallygothic #gothic #southernspell #southerngothic #truedetective #hbo #truedetectiveseason1 #ofmonstersandmen #monstersandmen #monsters #blogger #academic #litnerd #filmtheory #tv #newblogpost #newcontent #wordpress #bookworm #bookstagram #gothicliterature #gothicfiction #englishliterature https://www.instagram.com/p/B0o0fgeA90a/?igshid=1hkspj9141498

[generallygothic]

Today the 🥀Southern Spell🥀 ends. Tomorrow the second part of the True Detective blog post will be published and a new series/theme will be announced for August. 👉: Make sure you've read part one of the True Detective analysis before then & please leave a comment to let me know what you agree or disagree with, what you like and what you want to see next. 🔗: Link in bio! 👻: Anyone else see the ghost tree?! . #generallygothic #gothic #southernspell #southerngothic #truedetectiveseason1 #truedetective #blogpost #blogger #academic #filmtheory #critic #tv #hbo #film #academic #announcement #august #july #summer #tree #ghost #ghosttree #spooky #forest #woods #trees https://www.instagram.com/p/B0m9uAEgg92/?igshid=1k90o7ly0zf90

[generallygothic]

Though he lived & wrote in the American south, Edgar Allan Poe can't exactly be referred to as a Southern Gothic author because the subgenre didn't exist until American novelist Ellen Glasgow (1873 - 1945) created the term to critically describe "the inflamed rabble of impulses in the contemporary Southern novel” ('Heroes and Monsters', in 'The Saturday Review', May 4th 1953) in the mid C20th - but he still is. Early signs of the genre appear in Poe's work, such as 'The Fall of the House of Usher' (1839) & 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket' (1838). Perhaps, then, it would be better to refer to him as a precursor and credit his work as an influence upon the later occuring Southern Gothic of the mid-1900s. William Moss suggests that "on the ruins of the house of Usher, Poe lays the foundations of a Southern Gothic" - this, I think, is an accurate assertion. What do you think: is Poe the first author of the Southern Gothic, or a strong influence upon a future genre? 📌: This beautiful pin is from the Gothic Literature Collection by @litemporium. The recipient of this "gift[s] for book lovers" was... myself & I'm very excited to finally own it! . #generallygothic #gothic #southernspell #southerngothicnovel #southerngothicliterature #americannovel #americanliterature #literature #literary #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booknerd #bookworm #booklover #litnerd #academic #gothicnovel #gothicfiction #poe #edgarallanpoe #litemporium #literaryemporium #pin #pinstagram #pinfestation #literarypins #giftsforbooklovers #southerngothic #thefallofthehouseofusher #thenarrativeofarthurgordonpymofnantucket https://www.instagram.com/p/B0kdy_ugzpw/?igshid=2smugunq40wa

[generallygothic]

In The New York Times Book Review, Richard Bernstein referred to Williams Gay's 2006 novel 'Twilight' (no relation to the sparkly vampires) as: "almost textbook Southern Gothic, with its elements of the grotesque, it's psychological extremes and its fixation on violence and sex." High praise indeed! Not only was this Faber and Faber copy of Gay's posthumously published 'Little Sister Death' (2015) more photogenic than any covers of 'Twilight', it's also been on my 'to-read' list for ages. 🤔: So, I turn to you. Have any of you read it? Would you recommend I get it, immediately?! 👉: This post follows on from yesterday's 🥀Southern Spell🥀 post, which introduced Southern Gothic author, William Gay. Check it out to read more! 📸: @faberbooks . #generallygothic #gothic #southernspell #southerngothic #williamgay #twilight #williamgaytwilight #littlesisterdeath #posthumous #posthumouslypublished #lostnovel #lostwork #foundnovel #americannovel #americanliterature #southerngothicnovel #blairwitch #theblairwitchproject #witch #folklore #fable #thenewyorktimes #thenewyorktimesbookreview #bookreview #bookworm #literature #faberandfaber #coverart #bookcover #booksbooksbooks https://www.instagram.com/p/B0d0Y7GAHSW/?igshid=h0y666zkxl3o