A subgenre that seems to be widely misinterpreted and unrecognized, it is encompassed by liturature, film, and music.
Southern
Gothic inspiration arises from the macabre, politically incorrect and disturbing side of the American South, exclusively exposing the flawed nature of Southern society. The popularity of the subgenre peaked in the 1940's - 1950's, although it made first appearances much earlier in works of literature by famous writers such as Edgar
Allen Poe, William Faulkner, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Events that may unfold when indulging in Literature and film:
• Environmental decay, disturbing and mentally unbalanced characters, political tyranny, small town poverty,
murder, and other events involving
death.
Southern Gothic music (
Gothic Americana) displays a mixture of Alternative, Country/Folk, Southern Rock and sometimes Bluegrass. Lyrical Inspiration arises from similar events found in Southern Gothic literature:
•Poverty, decay, disturbing characters, religion & the Devil,
alcohol, gambling, betrayal (political/romantic),
murder and the
death of loved ones.
It is not uncommon for a Southern Gothic song to be narrated in first-person, as though the artist was personally involved with whatever dark events unfolded.
Having read the Southern Gothic novel To
Kill a Mockingbird, the social and racial injustice are predominant themes.
If you like powerful,
old movies with sinister themes, Southern Gothic films are just for you.
"The Bottomless Hole" by The Handsome Family screams Southern Gothic. "Sink Hole" and "That
Man I Shot" by Drive-By Truckers are also fine examples. Southern Gothic playlists can be easily discovered.
When listening to Southern Gothic music, the accent adds rather than annoys.
The malicious villain of "Cape Fear" uses
the Bible to
