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What is the difference between dark romantic literature and Gothic literature? - Printable Version

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What is the difference between dark romantic literature and Gothic literature? - goths - 10-12-2009

hey everybody,
i have a crucial question,perhaps even stupid,but be patient with me please Wink
so the question is: What is the difference between dark romantic literature and Gothic literature?
i don't see any difference, especially when knowing that gothic literature appeared during the romantic period ,so i think it is normal also to call it "dark romanticism" ,am I wrong? Rolleyes

i found this answer on WikiAnswer but i still don't see the difference:
What is the difference between dark romantic literature and Gothic literature?

* secret passages ways
* curses that actually work
* supernatural beings
* constant inclement weather
* thunder and lightening
* fog
* lots of lust
* profuse murder

i would be so grateful to anyone who can help me Smile


RE: What is the difference between dark romantic literature and Gothic literature? - paigenumber - 11-18-2009

Interesting.

Without going into making lists of what constitutes a dark romance vs. a Gothic romance, because said list would be almost identical, my own personal definition would be that a dark romance tends to be more tragical, whereas the Gothic romance is more suspenseful romance.

In literature, there may not be a real distinction between the two. Traditionally, Gothic romances have an eerie atmosphere with supernatural overtones. However, those supernatural forces are usually explained away. Having said that, there have been some Gothic romances that effectively make use of real supernatural forces. Lots of lust, profuse murder, excessive violence tend to be in the horror realm. Again, the distinction between horror and Gothic can be very fine.


RE: What is the difference between dark romantic literature and Gothic literature? - goths - 02-04-2010

thanks a lot!!!! :Smile


RE: What is the difference between dark romantic literature and Gothic literature? - Des Esseintes - 02-05-2010

Paigenumber is right. It's a very fine line and maybe it can't actually be drawn with any accuracy. I have a quote from something I wrote on another boards once when discussing the meaning of gothic literature and music:

Without going into an entire rant, I've always considered Gothic to be the dark underside of the romantic movement. It's interesting that the original gothic literature arose right along with the Romantic movement and later goth music arose right along with the so called New Romantic bands. I'm not sure about film, but I'll bet that the era of the really good gothic horror movies arose right about the same time that romances were also popular. Really I consider gothic a subdivision of romance. Both require drama and high emotional intensity and seem to focus more on relationships between people than outright action. (I know that now that I've said this people will point out a million exceptions to this rule...but I still think it holds true as a generalization.)