* NOTE - this was originally written for Women's day 2020.
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With today being international women's day, I thought I'd write a little amble on the genre where I started writing (and reading). Gothic Romance. Perhaps the "anti women's day" genre in form of content, but a genre which is riddled with female influence, both in character base and in female authors.
Background: I was a young reader, and so when I was about 12 I was done with children's books, no longer finding them a challenge. Coming from a fairly impoverished background, my mother, rather than buy me new books, just gave me access to the more "child-friendly" of her own bookshelf! Perhaps it was this, at such an impressionable age, which modelled the way my youthful brain worked, and instilled in me a sense of utter romance, as well as a love of the darker side of history, gothic, and Victoriana. You see, my mother was completely and utterly obsessed with a writer named Victoria Holt, and due to the lack of anything above PG in content, it was these I was given permission to read, initially.
Writing: I think it is honest to say that there are elements of gothic romance in most of my novels. Even my supernatural novels contain the staples of the genre, especially in the parts which cover historical content. However, I have also written 5 pure gothic romance novels too. These are as yet unpublished, however I am hoping to bring you the first, "The Lunatic of Thornham Heights" or "The House Above the Waves", very soon. These books are 100% an indulgence for me as a writer, however, in a modern era, a modern touch was needed in the creation of such stories. I love the tropes, the atmosphere, the "feeling of such books", however, with this being a genre which was born in a very different era to the one we live in, a modernisation was also needed.
Gothic romance as a genre - the history: Ok, so gothic romance is a genre almost as old as pure gothic, if not older in some ways. By pure gothic, I mean famous stories such as Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and so on. Gothic Romance is a similar genre but with some distinct differences. It is a genre which relies on romance and intrigue to further the story however, there are often elements of the supernatural, or at least hints towards it (sometimes in a scooby-doo-esque style - "no it wasn't a ghost, it was the mad old woman in the attic the whole time!"). Gothic Romance is a female driven genre, often written in a female voice. Examples of it often incorporate a lonely and mysterious feel, using scenery such as eerie old mansions, isolated moors, sometimes with a heroine being sent to another country where everything is strange and alien to them. Some people also consider work such as that of the Bronte sisters to be in this genre, especially Jane Eyre, which holds all the tropes of gothic romance. This genre is often considered to have been founded in 1764 with a novel called the Castle of Otranto.
we had female writers such as Victoria Holt, Constance Haven, and Mary Stewart creating a 1950s lens on the genre. This created a very unique view - 1950s women writing stories of 1800s women! Perhaps in some ways, both groups the underlings of what feminists would term the patriarchy. This is apparent in the writing - glaringly so! The traditional gothic romance sets up a tragic heroine who needs to be rescued. She should be "plucky and headstrong", but ultimately require saving by a "strong man". Perhaps this is why this genre is now so under represented by modern writers? People shy away from such outdated stereotypes, and yet I quite enjoy playing with the genre and stretching it's boundaries.
One of the things I like to do most is to take the "strong male lead" off of his pedestal. The untouchable "perfect man" in such stories is often as unrealistic as the submitting doe of the female lead. Giving them back their humanity is something I've striven for over and over. To do this, I've used tools such as mental illness, (the Lunatic of Thornham Heights), and poverty (So long my Sorrow) for example. Swap the stereotypes, turn them upside down. A rich woman with a penniless lover, a man who suffers depression and anxiety, male spiritualists, female sceptics. I've also added homosexuality and bisexuality to my novels - not just because I want to raise awareness that it was historically present, but also to push the boundaries of a genre which never previously accepted it. I have also written about race , adding people of colour to the very whitewashed and often racist genre. (The House Above the Waves has a strong message against racism, whilst exploring it in the context of its era.) Again, though, I'm getting off topic! My point is that just because a genre is outdated, does not mean it cannot be modernised, whilst still maintaining the tropes at its core!
Let me know what you think in the comments :)