Is Edith Wharton Goth?

endemonidia · 12-08-2005, 06:24 AM

I recently finished 'House of Mirth', and came to the conclusion that it's practically gother than Dracula. Yes, it doesn't have vampires, or bats, or re-animated corpses, but it's about fleeting beauty, the hells we create for ourselves, self-destruction, how love *doesn't* transcend all bonds and ultimately suicide. With themes like that, how can it not be goth? Or am I just barricading myself into my own little world?

endemonidia · 12-08-2005, 07:28 AM

I have, I was just wondering if anyone had a) read the book, b) agreed with the opinions I had or merely thought I was talking fart-gas and c) thought that the ending of Dracula was a happy ending cop-out, what with the slightly odd closing paragraph of Van Helsing's *entirely* platonic admiration of Mina Harker and the certainty that Morris is living in a whiskey-filled otherworld with a Johnny Cash soundtrack.

Disfunction · 12-08-2005, 07:30 AM

Well, as Xng stated, make up your own mind.
There's no right or wrong answer, but as far as you described, I'd give you the go-ahead.

horrorgirl · 12-08-2005, 09:12 AM

I have read almost all of Edith Wharton's books and I would have to say that her books can be rather depressing.......not because they are 'goth' but because they represent what happened during the late Victorian era...which wasn't a very happy time for women.

gothictuesday · 12-10-2005, 07:15 AM

I know, it's tempting to say that everything we like is goth, but no

Betrothed2Death · 03-23-2006, 02:36 PM

I know that many believe her to have had "great admiration and perhaps affection of various sorts" for Henry James, who, in my opinion, is pretty damn gothy.

The Turn of the Screw is a masterpiece<3333333

Betrothed2Death · 03-23-2006, 02:52 PM

Yep, well, I guess I could do <3<3<3<3<3<3 too emphasize my love but I'm too lazy so I prefer to display my heart with excessive amounts of lumps on it's head to get my point across. Yay for deformities.

Betrothed2Death · 03-23-2006, 03:08 PM

No problem. I have a tendency to do things like that, assuming that everyone will automatically know what I mean because I send of psychic brain waves like that...
Yeah... I wish......