What does the concept of "Southern Gothic" mean?

Question

I have been encountering it in some of the books I've read, so far in Faulkner and Walker Percy and also Twain. Based on a wild guess, I would say that it has roots in the "visigoths?" perhaps, or at least ruling families and nobility from a feudal era.

Answer 1

Southern Gothic
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Southern Gothic is a subgenre of the Gothic writing style, unique to American literature. Like its parent genre, it relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot. Unlike its predecessor, it uses these tools not for the sake of suspense, but to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South.

The Southern Gothic author usually avoids perpetuating Antebellum stereotypes like the contented slave, the demure Southern belle, the chivalrous gentleman, or the righteous Christian preacher. Instead, the writer takes classic Gothic archetypes, such as the damsel in distress or the heroic knight, and portrays them in a more modern and realistic manner — transforming them into, for example, a spiteful and reclusive spinster, or a white-suited, fan-brandishing lawyer with ulterior motives.

One of the most notable features of the Southern Gothic is "The Grotesque" — this includes situations, places, or stock characters that often possess some cringe-inducing qualities, typically racial bigotry and egotistical self-righteousness — but enough good traits that readers finds themselves interested nevertheless. While often disturbing, Southern Gothic authors commonly use deeply flawed, grotesque characters for greater narrative range and more opportunities to highlight unpleasant aspects of Southern culture, without being too literal or appearing to be overly moralistic.

This genre of writing is seen in the work of such famous Southern writers as William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Harry Crews, Jill McCorkle, Lee Smith, Lewis Nordan, Barry Hannah, Carson McCullers, Erskine Caldwell, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, and Cormac McCarthy among others. Tennessee Williams described Southern Gothic as a style that captured "an intuition, of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience."

Answer 2

Strange, eerie, hint of supernatural, strange behavior, darkness of character, perhaps insanity, long kept family secrets: that sort of thing. Not usually as dependent upon ghosts or haunted castles (houses) as British Gothic--just weird behavior. Maybe scarey, even shocking, but more often just bizarre, outlandish behavior. Usually serious literature with a theme relating to the way modern life can make people feel like aliens or outsiders. Faulkner's short story, "Rose for Emily," is the best quick introduction to Southern Gothic, the epitome of the genre. You gotta read it to find out what's weird about it.

Answer 3

It's a subgenre of Gothic Fiction, set in the American South. It works really well since the South has a dark past that still persists even now.

Answer 4

A person who were's black cowboy boots, jeans, shirt, and cowboy hat, and weres black lipstick, nail polich and eyeshadow, and practices, typical gothic stuff (cutting, satan worshipping, ect.)