Reality of Gothic

What is Gothic??

When I first think/hear the word Gothic I think of  it being dark and gloomy, I also think of "emo", a rock music genre and fashion style.but the more I looked into Gothic, its more about vampires and very supernatural things. Rather then just a fashion statement.

 I realised that Gothic was a lot of personal emotions within each piece whether that be a novel or painting. Most of these personal emotions were the writer/artists experiences or hidden emotions. I got really intrigued in this information, while I was researching I came across this image (L), it reminded me of  my "secrets". I tend to put a happy face on and hide my problems. I also found another image (R) which reminded me a bit more about what people don't see, a lot  of people bottle things up to the point where they can't function or hide it anymore.

Gothic can show us fears and reality in written or picture form. Gothic got its name from an Italian writer named Giorgio Vasari, he named it "Gothic" in the 1530s because he thought buildings from the middle ages were not planned and measured carefully.

The Gothic.

When I hear or read the word 'Gothic' I think back to when my mum and I where in Europe and we snuck into a church through a side door. Its Gothic architecture seemed like something out of a scary novel that I might read, with witches and vampires. 

When I was researching I came across this image of a, what I assumed, haunted mansion and it made me think of a classic Scooby-Doo episode where there hunting vampires and it turns out to be the old caretaker.

The Gothic invokes fear and a sense of dread. It stems into art, literature, architecture ad fashion. 'Gothic' is a genre not an era, however, the first use of the word 'Gothic' was the release of the novel 'The Castle of Otranto: a Gothic story' by Horace Walpole, 1765.  

Initial Thoughts

"Emo Fashion" Stereotypically 

When I first hear the word Gothic, my brain instantly brings me to the "Emo" phase of fashion. Then when I really thought about it and the story of Frankenstein, vampires, and other supernatural things came to mind.  


When I started to research about it I came across this image.  It instantly reminded me of my Anxiety, and how I picture it. It's like a little demon on my shoulder asking me 'what if' questions it makes the hair stand on the back of my neck every time. It is something that can make something so good turn into one of the most traumatising days. 

Gothic can show us fears we didn't think were possible to have. Today Gothic is usually told in ghost/horror stories at a sleepover and around a campfire.