08-31-2013, 06:48 PM
A topic of possible relevance to the authors on this forum: an exploration of suitable locales for new gothics, since there seems to be at least a glimmer of rekindled interest in the genre among publishers and online.
We all know the classic settings: i.e., Cornwall, the moors of Yorkshire or Devon; the northeastern United States; the bayous of Louisiana . . . but what about places that offer equally atmospheric possibilities for gothic stories that aren't used so frequently? Here are several that come to mind:
(1) The Northeast above New England -- counties around Halifax; islands (real or fictitious) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; the Bay of Fundy (the foggiest place on earth!); Prince Edward Island (it's not just for Anne of Green Gables); Nova Scotia; Newfoundland; Labrador; etc.
(2) The Northwestern USA -- the coastline from the north of California to the Canadian border abounds with rain-swept, fog-laden places that might inspire gothic tales.
(3) Inland USA -- a good gothic doesn't always have to include the presence of the sea, and surely there are lots of lonely, picturesque spots in the vast American interior that would inspire a writer's imagination . . . (help with being more specific?)
Any other ideas? It would be interesting to hear others' suggestions for places seldom or never thought of before, or which simply merit further use in gothics.
We all know the classic settings: i.e., Cornwall, the moors of Yorkshire or Devon; the northeastern United States; the bayous of Louisiana . . . but what about places that offer equally atmospheric possibilities for gothic stories that aren't used so frequently? Here are several that come to mind:
(1) The Northeast above New England -- counties around Halifax; islands (real or fictitious) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; the Bay of Fundy (the foggiest place on earth!); Prince Edward Island (it's not just for Anne of Green Gables); Nova Scotia; Newfoundland; Labrador; etc.
(2) The Northwestern USA -- the coastline from the north of California to the Canadian border abounds with rain-swept, fog-laden places that might inspire gothic tales.
(3) Inland USA -- a good gothic doesn't always have to include the presence of the sea, and surely there are lots of lonely, picturesque spots in the vast American interior that would inspire a writer's imagination . . . (help with being more specific?)
Any other ideas? It would be interesting to hear others' suggestions for places seldom or never thought of before, or which simply merit further use in gothics.
