Gothic fiction has definitely changed forms since its onset with Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, but the range of elements is so vast that the tradition of the genre has remained intact and addictive over the centuries. Some authors have used a more classical format involving the earliest sorts of stock characters associated with Gothic fiction while others have taken the main themes and identities and altered them. The crippling effect of the past on the present is always highlighted in some fashion…and it is this aspect of the genre that drives the cult followings and keeps the casual Gothic readers coming back for more.
Authors throughout the Victorian era employed Gothic techniques by using characters or entire families (Miss Havisham in Dickens’ Great Expectations and the aristocratic Dedlock’s in his Bleak House), to emphasize the curses and terrors of living in the shadows of one’s past. The Brontë sisters joined Dickens in this trend by including a sort of Gothic thread to run through several of their works. While their novels on the whole may have been classified as Bildungsroman or as an answer to the Woman Question, elements of Gothic fiction were present.
Today, the seemingly forbidden aspects of the genre are not so taboo, but readers still have the desire to submerse themselves in the unknown, terrifying and grotesque. Stephen King has done much with his craft to morph the genre and leave his own trademark…his themes are traditional and endlessly creative at the same time. The accessibility of his fiction has drawn in audiences and caused some to delve further into the history of the genre.
King’s personal history lends itself well to the taxing nature of writing in the Gothic tone. His laundry list of possible factors (though most of these he denies had much influence over his writing) include: having been raised primarily by his mother once his father abandoned the family, witnessing a childhood friend die as a result of being hit by a train, abusing drugs and alcohol during his young adulthood, enduring continuing health problems and a miraculously non-fatal car accident. Despite these struggles King has always placed great value on his relationship with his wife Tabitha (also a Maine native), and his three children.
Most commonly referred to as Horror fiction, his novels have won him innumerable honors and awards…despite his fame though, his works continue to speak for themselves and prove his talent. Publishing under the pen name Richard Bachman, King tested his talent and essentially, his fan-base. King published Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982) and Thinner (1984) under the pseudonym and he found that he was in fact able to repeat his success without his given name.
Between then and now King has published several novels and has perhaps received the most attention for his Dark Tower Series which he originally began drafting in the 70′s. He took a break from having works published after his car accident, but informed fans via his website that he was still writing…just at a much slower pace than he had been before. The 2009 publication of Under the Dome (also a work he started in the 70′s and decided to re-vamp) immediately went to the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list and other bestsellers lists worldwide.
Sources Consulted:
King’s home in Bangor, Maine
