Stereotypes and the Gothic Heroine

     I don't have much experience with gothic and horror in general. I grew up with a mother who wasn’t fond of the genre. So I never really watched a horror movie until I came to college and when I had this class. One of the most interesting realizations that I came across had to deal with stereotypes.
     I realized that horror stereotypes are ingrained into our culture. Again, I didn't watch any horror movies while growing up, however, I could still name quite a few of the stereotypes that everyone associates with the genre. It’s crazy to think about how much those clichés must have integrated itself into other things for it to be recognized by one with no experience. The power of a stereotype is fearsome indeed.

     But then again, stereotypes are just that for a reason. Obviously there is something else working here if they are brought back again and again. An interesting character in gothic literature that is the gothic heroine. She has also been back again and again and can be found in literature today. 

     The gothic heroine is sort of a damsel in distress but she is actually starting to do things for herself (I know, shocking). She tends to be looking for someone appropriate for her and wants to be recognized or appreciated for herself. This heroine can also be found in many fiction novels today. However, the gothic heroine was created all the way back in the 1900’s, so what was the appeal now to what it was then.

     At the time, many women were starting to read and thirst for books for themselves. They wanted a character to relate to and a plot to excite them. The gothic heroine fulfills this want because there is an element of danger while there is still a romance.  The gothic heroine was created just at the moment women were starting to think about gender roles, and are an example of what can happen to a woman who thinks for herself. 

     Today, that type of strong heroine is still what we want in our literature and what we want as role models. I feel as if the gothic heroine is the grandmother to the strong independent women characters that can be found in popular literature such as the extremely popular Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. These strong, independent women's roots can be found in the gothic heroine.

And here's a pug dressed as the monster from Frankenstein. Just for fun.