The Gothic Romance

Too many time people have asked what is goth? What makes goth? What is gothic? As well as posing the question if it is more than just the subculture we find today. It has been posed that there have always been people and groups of people through out history who have exibited gothic traits, namely to be ruled by emotion. Love and romance outweight any logic or well thought out plots in their lives. The people find themselves separate from society, either by choice or fate for most of their lives. Lives which all too often are frought with conflict and end in tragedy or final fulfillment in death. Thus, I put forth that goth is defined by the gothic romance. A series of events which play out as an outcast, motivated by emotion is involved in drama and finally put to the test in death.

First, there is sence of spearateness from society and the mass of mankind. It may be forced or self imposed. It may be physical, mental or emotional. Perhaps no more than a feeling that nobody else understands them. It is easy to see in today's goths. the sullen looks, the drastic fashion in clothes. It has been put forward that goths are not made, they are born. The belief is strong that they are people of like values and interets that have come together without outside influence. In gothic literature of past, certainly most of the antagonists were outcasts from society, and if anything, the goths of today seek to revel in the anti-hero of gothic literature.

These people are motivated by emotions rather than reason, and of emotions almost always love. Other emotions such as anger, hatred, or spite could easily also fulfill the required emotional drive, but they tend to be the exception which makes the rule. Love is one of those things which has driven the human beyond reason, often to doom. It is the emotion perhaps most desired in the history of man. Kingdoms, titles, fortunes are often lost for love, while other emotions usually only come into play after they are lost. It is an emotion that can spring out of nothing for anybody and consume a person with the sympathy of those around them. Few people instinctually grow or seek to hate somebody without reason, and most other people could care less in the case they do. The one close second we can find is lust, often confused with love and sometimes indistinguishable from eachother.

There is always drama, emotional conflict and dealings with other people. Things never come easy and the world has ways of blocking a person from what they desire, even when it is due them. Love is often rejected or even if requited, other factors come into play which prevent an easy fulfillment. Desires are often out of reach. Despite what the ramifications are of playing out such drama, it will still be followed because to not do so would be an even greater emotional loss.

When all is said and done, the drama must end as all things, in death. It is the final culmination of life and the point which all history is written in stone and unchangeable. Spurned lovers seek to die, lovers seek death to seal their emotions for eachother. Even the words "happily ever after" is just a way of saying "till they died together." It is the one thing that is the hardest to overcome. Perhaps this is the reason that death plays so predominantly in gothic culture, because if one can over come that, one can overcome anything.

Thus we have our formula for what is goth. Drama based in love which must end in or conquor death. How these are played out, tell us how the romance should be judged. If death comes before love can be achieved, it is tragic. If love is fulfilled, even though death may claim the parties involved, perhaps unjustly, it has been successful.