Although the genre of the Gothic was born with the publication of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (1764), I discovered the alluring power of the Gothic in literature while reading Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The raw emotion and passion that filled its pages stirred my soul and filled me with a longing for more.
At first I did not understand what drew me into this novel. I do not consider myself to be an elementally dark person who is intrigued with the supernatural. Then I realized I was drawn to the Byronic hero portrayed by Heathcliff.
A Byronic hero is one who is idealized, yet flawed. Someone with charm, wit, and intelligence, but who may have secrets hidden in a dark past. Someone who has a distaste for the norms of society and is unafraid of showing it. It is almost like someone that you cannot stand to be around but somehow cannot live without.
Heathcliff could feel. He could experience. And that is what drew me in - the ability to feel. I realize that I love the Gothic element not just in literature, but in movies and plays and paintings and other art forms. I love that it expresses emotion and feelings. To me, it seems real. And that is what draws me to it.
