COVE

Gothic language and literature is something that inspires writing and people even today. Despite seeming like an outdated form of writing there’s a lot of modern things that are influenced by this traditional writing. In order to elaborate on the elements of the Gothic I will use an example that is familiar to everyone. For instance, Harry Potter, which we all know and love, is a gothic influenced series. 

The first element that makes it gothic is that of Harry Potter himself. In traditional Gothic literature the main character is very relatable -- but must ultimately face the monster within themselves. Harry Potter is a very sweet and dorky kid who by the end of the series must face the piece of him that is a horcrux of Voldemort. The other key to Gothic is that of transformation, Harry must learn not to ignore his past and face his inner Voldemort in order to kill Voldemort himself. The drama of despair is often the heart and soul of these types of stories, Harry is permanently seeking friendship and family and perpetually doing things that make it impossible to achieve either goal or fate itself seems to be against him. All emotions are heightened in Gothic literature and due to it being an adolescent series it does give it those over-dramatic emotions. 

The settings are often gloomy, decaying, and add an air of mystery to them. Hogwarts is a massive castle often portrayed with dark hallways and spiders running amok along with a “Chamber of Secrets” and a lot of uncharted rooms and hallways including the room of requirement adding another layer of mystery. 

The next element that is frequently entangled into Gothic writing is that of prophecies and legends. Harry Potter definitely has prophecies interlaced into it, him being the chosen one to defeat Voldemort. The element that often comes in unison with it is that of omens, visions, and the supernatural. Prisoner of Azkaban is a great example of this. With the example of “The Grim” an omen of death which is displayed in the tea leaves of his cup in divination class.

The last elements that cement the Gothic nature of Harry Potter are Tragedy and bittersweet romance. Due to Harry being so young the bittersweet romance is not as much a factor, however tragedy of love is definitely there in the first book with the mirror of Erisad. His tragic deep desire to have his parents back. Then there’s his past with Voldemort which forever haunts him in the form of his inescapable scar.

Citation references from the presentation: Oh My Goth writing course for Teen Author Boot Camp 2021 taught by Kathryn Purdie