Why YA Gothic Fiction is Booming and Why that Makes me a Happy Writer!
Why YA Gothic Fiction is Booming – and Girl Monsters are on the Rise
According to Professor Michelle Smith, “the Gothic, and its newer sub-genres like paranormal romance, have a unique resonance with teenagers. They are poised in a transitional space between childhood and adulthood, neither quite embodying the stage they are leaving behind nor fully the thing that they are in the process of becoming. It is unsurprising, then, that they have eagerly embraced the Gothic’s themes of the liminal and the monstrous, as well as its fixation on romance and sex.”
If you grew up in my time (70s and 80s), you’ll remember how the gothic “Flowers in the Attic” burst upon the reading scene among young girls. I had been devouring the 60s gothic romance novels prior to this, reading authors like Victoria Holt and Dorothy Eden, enthralled by images of young women rushing from dark castles under dangerous looking skies. Then someone handed me “Flowers in the Attic” which broke a whole rang of social taboos. The series wasn’t my favourite as it was pretty freaky, but one that did stand out as a ‘keeper’ was “We have always Lived in the Attic” by Shirley Jackson.
“In earlier manifestations of the “female Gothic”, first published in the 18th century by women writers, female protagonists were often courageous, but simultaneously passive and victimised.”
Like Michelle Smith says, in her block post “why YA gothic fiction is booming – and girl monsters are on the rise“, I was intrigued by “Another significant element of the current YA Gothic revival is the emergence of the girl monster.”
Social norms have expanded, gender roles are more tolerant and accepting, and as an adult, the pressure to conform is not as daunting.
However, I have not forgotten what it is like for the girl who doesn’t fit in during adolescence. As a mature woman, I have my chance now to talk back and I’m doing that through writing Gothics, with a twist of supernatural that “disrupt the plotline of male monster and female victim”. (Professor Michelle Smith, Monash University)
In my vampire book series “The Fergus She”, my main character is eighteen-year-old Rachel, who is a danger to herself and others. She’s living in Guelph, ON in the 1980s, her mother is institutionalized in the local asylum, and Rachel drinks to supress her alternate personality, Scarlett.
I love writing this atmospheric gothic fiction, and especially enjoy powering up my protagonist with some special skills to help her escape her victimization.
The Gothic genre (which some dub Dark Fantasy and Supernatural Psychological Thriller) is still a joy for me to read and to write. I just can’t get enough of taking an irregular girl and putting her in adventurous situations she has to survive. Maybe, I owe my writing award and prolific imagination to Victoria Holt, Charlotte Bronte and Shirley Jackson, or perhaps to my early years when I stepped outside of the social sphere. Whichever, I’m overjoyed that Gothic is making a comeback and happy to keep writing my girl monster, Rachel, into the thick of it.
Looking for a seductive, suspenseful #halloweenread? Try “The Fergus She” Gothic vampire book series.
Why YA gothic fiction is booming – and girl monsters are on the rise! Supernatural powers + Love interest – what’s the draw? From #VampireDiaries to #Twilight explained. Read the full Essay Here.
— Tweeted by Cheryl R Cowtan (@NspiredMe2Write) Retweet this post
