Structure of the GOTHIC Tale
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What is the difference between a Gothic tale and a Horror story? Intent. Seriously. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both Horror stories and Gothic tales delve into the realm of emotional trauma such as revenge, abuse, and hate--including, if not especially, sexual trauma. However, the darkness in a Gothic tale is not expressed or defined by graphically detailed, and gruesome, violence as it is in a Horror. Though violence is often featured in the Gothic, it is NOT the main focus of the story. The drama of Despair is the vehicle of the Gothic where a Horror story is driven by the action of Violence.
In a nutshell...
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Horror = Action story
Gothic = Drama Story
While both Gothics and Horror are tales of the spiritual and/or psychological reality of the human psyche, Horror stories deal with the monsters that can lurk within our friends and neighbors. Gothics, however, deal with the monsters within ourselves; the hidden, self-destructive side that we don't want to admit exists within each of us.
This means that the unlike the Horror plotline, which is simply a gory adventure story that follows the common Heroic Cycle plotline, the Gothic plot is far more complicated; emotionally complicated.
The Gothic Plot
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Act 1. Rise
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1. Character is Valued/not Valued
- Leading to Underestimated Talent
--- Triggering Pride/Shame
----- Which causes an Emotional Issue to form.
2. Incidental/Accidental Accomplishment
- a - Draws the wrong kind of attention
--- The Monster
- b - Also creates Envy in someone close
--- Friend / Family member / lover / coworker
3. Encounter with the Monster (symbol of Emotional Issue)
--- Contamination / Gift
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Act 2. CRASH
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1. The Sincere Mistake
--- Pride represents an irresistible Challenge.
- a - To the Envious
- b - to the Monster
2. CRASH > Monstrosity unveiled
--- Anger leads to a Ruinous Victory
----- They win the battle, but their monstrous nature is Exposed.
--- a --- to their loved ones
--- b --- to their enemies
--- c --- to themselves
3. Departure from Society
--- Regret triggers Escape / Removal from Society
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Act 3. Fall ( Stages of Grief & Transformation)
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1. Dangerous territory
--- Denial = belief that they are an Outcast / Abandoned.
----- Belief that they Deserve to be an Outcast / Abandoned.
2. Meeting with the True Monster
--- Anger = Love-Hate Relationship
- a - with the Monster
- b - with the Envious
- c – with their own monstrous nature
3. Threats & Promises
--- Negotiation = Temptation & Persuasion
- a - from the Monster
- b - from the Envious
4. Surrender & Sacrifice
--- Despair = Submission & Adaptation
- a - to the Monster
- b - to the Envious
- c - to their own monstrous nature.
5. Escape / Rescue
--- Acceptance = Deliberate release of the Beast Within
- a - They rescue themselves, but at the cost of their humanity.
----- Giving birth to a new core Value. (Pride / Shame)
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Act 4. Return to Society
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1. Unfinished Business with Envious
--- Hiding in plain sight
2. Confrontation with the Monster
--- Deliberate Transformation
- a - to Protect
- b - for Revenge
3. Conclusion
--- Willing sacrifice to take down Monster
----- Which ends in a New Life / Heroic Death
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'Fall of the House of Usher' by Edgar Allen Poe, is a Classic Gothic tale. However, at first glance the story doesn't appear to fit this pattern at all, until you realize that the point of view character, the narrator, ISN'T who this story is about. In fact, he barely affects the plot at all. The story is about Roderick Usher, the last heir to an old decrepit family mansion. The narrator is merely a witness to Usher's final decent into madness (Acts 3 and 4).
Oddly, 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexander Dumas, IS a Gothic! It follows the plot pattern perfectly and it covers the most common and devouring psychological monster of all -- revenge.
The Gothic is about TRANSFORMATION.
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In the average Horror story, the main character usually gains some form of outside help and / or finds a weapon to defeat their monster. In a Gothic, the main character must transform themselves into a weapon. They must become a monster to defeat their monster, then learn to live with the aftermath of their transformation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is why 'Phantom of the Opera' is simply a Horror story. NONE of the characters transform. Christine Daea, the main protagonist does not change herself to deal with her monster. She gains outside help, a protector who basically does all her fighting for her.
On the other hand, the movie 'The Matrix' is very much a modern Gothic. Neo must transform himself into someone and something completely alien to his original geeky character in order to survive.
Another Gothic movie, though it appears to be a Western, is 'Ravenous'. In this story, the cowardly Cavalry officer protagonist must accept full transformation into a wendigo, a Native American cannibal monster in order to have the physical strength to defeat the wendigo stalking him.
The other key difference between Horror stories and Gothic tales are the monsters. Unlike Horror monsters which are simply opponents to be defeated, each and every Gothic monster is in fact a metaphor for a spiritual or psychological issue. In most cases, the Setting is too.
Common Gothic Settings & their Meanings
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1) Old Mansions = Inheritance issues
2) Abandoned Houses = Forgotten Family issues
3) Antique Shops = Curiosity (nosiness) issues
4) Modern Corporations = Job / Business issues
5) Old Factories = Unemployment issues
6) Modern Suburbia = Adult Peer pressure issues
7) Quaint Little Towns = Hidden Community issues
8) Schools & Colleges = Childhood / Peer-pressure issues
Common Monsters of the Psyche
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1) Ghosts = Guilt
2) Vampires = Addiction
3) Witches = Wishes gone bad
4) Sorcerers /Scientists = Insanity
5) Werewolves = Rage
6) Urban Faery = Rebellion
7) Man-made monsters = Personal Mistakes
8) Zombies = Peer Pressure
9) Ogres / Trolls / Giants = Bullies
The Gothic Hero
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The main character, the one telling the tale always starts out as a fairly nice, normal, and decent person. Why is that? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because Gothics are about how the individual deals with being transformed into their own worst nightmare. In other words, how they deal their own monstrous issues. It's all about the battle within. The climax of the Gothic isn't the battle with the monster that needs to be slain, it's how the main character chooses to deal with their own monstrosity.
The ENDING of a Gothic Tale
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There are only two options when facing a dark issue of the psyche. Interestingly enough, either option can lead to Destruction or Redemption. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Acceptance
- a - Empowerment
- b - Addiction to power = Insanity
- c - Coexistence / Balance of dual nature
2) Rejection
- a - Search for release / escape / *cure = Insanity
- b - Search for control = Empowerment
- c - Denial / Ignoring it = Insanity
*Note: There is NO CURE for a Psychological Issue in real life. You either Adapt to it, or Succumb to it. Medicating it only Represses (covers up) the issue. It does not Fix it. Sooner or later the medication WILL stop working and that issue WILL resurface. Ask any psychologist.
In Conclusion...
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Gothic tales are metaphors, proverbs, and fables of goodness versus evil that describe the spiritual and psychological challenges of the human soul. They are modern-day, un-sanitized, fairy tales filled with the horrific punishments that the original fairy tales held:
- Punishment for the wicked...
- Empowerment for those trapped in darkness...
- Redemption for those who have learned to adapt to the living, breathing shadows, within themselves...
They also conclude exactly like any other fairy tale. The Brave save the day, the Foolish die, and the Guilty are Punished, usually horribly.
"But real life isn't so neatly tied. Bad people get away with doing bad things."
True. Real life ISN'T so neatly tied. Bad people DO get away with bad things. That does not change the fact that Evil IS Bad and the Wicked SHOULD be punished, even if it only happens in a story.
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
