The Gothic
When I think of the Gothic I think of this painting by Henri Fuseli - 'The Nightmare' (1781):
The reason I think of this is because what this painting depicts is a natural phenomenon that I have personally experienced many times in life and it is very creepy.
The Gothic to me is the uncanny, the terrifying, the horrific. However, my association is the mental horrors and terrors we may experience - what can the mind do to us? Our thoughts alone can make our hearts race and our palms sweaty. Our fears and anxieties can be traumatic... and so can our dreams...
I dream every night and mostly these are unpleasant, and, I remember my dreams. Sometimes I have a weird kind of awake nightmare where I can't move or speak but I am awake, and I feel like something physical is pushing down on my chest, trapping me and preventing me from moving.
Growing up I was lead to believe that this may be some sort of 'devil' or evil spirit attacking me (yes, I know, terrifying!) but as an adult I decided to research what was happening to me.
Turns out this happens to many people and is actually a type of sleeping disorder - sleep paralysis.
The early meaning of the word 'nightmare' included the sleeper's experience of weight on the chest, combined with sleep paralysis, dyspnea or a feeling of dread. The painting incorporates a variety of imagery associated with these ideas and feelings, depicting a mare's head and a demon crouched on top of the woman.
So, it turns out, this phenomenon is what is depicted here in this painting (quite accurately in fact) and I was pleased to find out that my very own terrors have been the subject of a fantastic and famous piece of Gothic art. I was also comforted to know that other people have experienced this traumatic occurrence (even people from way in the past).
The early meaning of the word 'nightmare' included the sleeper's experience of weight on the chest, combined with sleep paralysis, dyspnea or a feeling of dread. The painting incorporates a variety of imagery associated with these ideas and feelings, depicting a mare's head and a demon crouched on top of the woman.
So, it turns out, this phenomenon is what is depicted here in this painting (quite accurately in fact) and I was pleased to find out that my very own terrors have been the subject of a fantastic and famous piece of Gothic art. I was also comforted to know that other people have experienced this traumatic occurrence (even people from way in the past).
HI everyone! I cant seem to post anything so I'm leaving my contribution here :)
ReplyDeleteWhen i think of the Gothic, I am taken back to watching 'Nosferatu' with my Mum, about a year ago.
She was appalled that I had never watched it before.
It was really interesting, since- of course it is a silent film. But amazingly it, even though it is so old terrified me.
For me, this really proved that the Gothic is still relevant to us- why else would there be so many Frankenstein and Dracula remakes?
The themes of the supernatural and middle-ages sparks an almost primal instinct in us- we even we all of our inventions and power, are suspicious and frightened of the idea that there could be something bigger and more powerful than ourselves.
Hey guys, i saw Sophie's comment and i couldn't find a place to post so here i am
ReplyDeleteWhen i think of the Gothic, my first thought goes to vampires, mysterious potions and eerie settings, usually somewhere in Europe. But when i got more into the Gothic this year, i have found that it does more than make the hairs on the back of our neck stand or make us so desperate to turn to the next page, for it also shows us another side to writing that we don't really seem to see often these days.
The Gothic is definitely still relevant to us today as it plays with our minds and lets us question reality. It makes us wonder what if Dracula is real or what if there is a mad scientist making creatures. The Gothic can also show us fears we didn't even know we had or were possible to have.
The Gothic today is still relevant today as it gives us a sense of freedom in an alternate reality where all of the things we thought weren't possible, could be real.