Tag: Coleridge

Nautical Gothic

What could be more frightening than the crumbling spires of an ancient castle or the echoing halls of a cursed family’s ancestral home? How about the alien landscape of the open sea! With its unknowable depths and mercurial moods, the ocean is rife with mystery and danger. And out in the middle of the ocean, one can experience an isolation far more profound than even the most remote cliffside abbey. In many ways, the ocean is the perfect Gothic landscape. On any given voyage, a sailor might have to battle against the weather and natural environment, against monsters, against the restless dead, against the depravity and superstitious nature of his fellow man, or even against the phantasms of his own mind. Here are just a few examples of Gothic works that take place, in whole or in part, at sea:

Oil painting showing one ship being tossed about on rough waves while beside it is the faint, ghostly image of another, larger ship
Painting of the Flying Dutchman by Charles Temple Dix

Continue reading Nautical Gothic

Early Vampire Poems

I’ve written before about the Vampire Literary Canon—some of the most popular works that cemented the vampire’s place as literature’s favorite monster. But before vampires worked their way into novels (like Bram Stoker’s Dracula), novellas (like J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla), or even short stories (like Polidori’s “The Vampyre”), many of the earliest appearances of these creatures in Western literature occurred in poetry. Below are a few of my favorite examples of early vampire poems:

Illustration of Christabel reclining on a bed, looking at Geraldine
Detail of “So halfway from her bed she rose/ And on her elbow did recline/ to look at the Lady Geraldine.” from Christabel, The Blue Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang. Illustrations by H. J. Ford and Lancelot Speed. London, Longmans, Green & Co. 1891.

Continue reading Early Vampire Poems

My Favorite Gothic Poems

"Still life with skull and quill" by Pieter Claesz
“Still life with a skull and a writing quill” by Pieter Claesz

One of the many stereotypes of the gothic subculture involves reading poetry and brooding in a corner. While the brooding isn’t entirely necessary, poetry is a great way to indulge in your daily dose of darkness. Here are just a few of my absolute favorite gothic poems:

1) “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe

The works of Edgar Allan Poe were some of my first gateways into the realm of gothic literature. Poe is regarded as a leading patriarch in the American gothic tradition. He helped to popularize the genres of both horror and mystery with his numerous short stories. But for me, the true gothic beauty of Poe resides chiefly in his poetry. Now, I’m sure you’re all familiar with “The Raven,” so I figured I’d introduce you to one of my other favorite poems of his. “Annabel Lee” is a hauntingly beautiful poem about two of Poe’s favorite things: a beautiful woman and death. In fact, many of Poe’s poems and stories involve the death of a beautiful woman, perhaps influenced by the early death of his young wife, Virginia. “Annabel Lee” tells the story of a man and woman who were so in love that the angels in heaven grew jealous and took the woman away. The poem has an ethereal cadence that works beautifully put to music, as in this electro dance cover by one of my favorite musicians, Psyche Corporation:

You can also read it for yourself here.

Continue reading My Favorite Gothic Poems