Gothic Appalachian Literature

Anthem Studies in Gothic Literature

by Sarah Robertson

Gothic Appalachian Literature examines the ways contemporary Appalachian authors utilize gothic tropes to explore the complex history and contemporary problems of the region, particularly in terms of their representation of economic and environmental concerns. It argues that across Appalachian fiction, the plight of characters to save their homes, land and way of life from the destructive forces of extractive industries brings sharply to bare the histories of colonization and slavery that problematize questions of belonging, ownership and possession. Robertson extensively considers contemporary manifestations of the gothic in Appalachian literature, arguing that gothic tropes abound in fiction that focuses on the impacts of extractive industries that connect this micro-region with other parts of the Global North and Global South where the devastating impacts of extractive industries are also experienced socially, economically and environmentally.

98 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2024

Reviews

[makena]

An intriguing and thorough introduction to the Appalachian Gothic. It’s a subgenre that I was never aware even existed but am now totally convinced of. The supernatural and grotesque material that Appalachian authors often draw on qualifies it as gothic, not to mention the fact that the region itself is ‘othered’. Robertson’s analysis is extremely relevant, examining the Anthropocene and situating a majority of the works in our post-Trump moment. Most importantly, Robertson warns against generalizing the South and Appalachia as white, far-right, and uneducated—not only because this contributes to the erasure of BIPOC and queer identities in the region, but also because these stereotypes rarely turn to challenge those who are complicit in the issues that define the area.

“The inability to see beyond stereotypes of the region comes from an unwillingness to see the monstrous in all its reality, a reality that gothic Appalachian literature continues to expose.”

[M Frey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrative and connecting thread between all sections was largely the idea that Appalachia, a place varied and old, is constantly misinterpreted. Not just by those outside of Appalachia, but even those within it. I found the examples fascinating, and the ideas of extractivism and historical/contemporary violence that occurs as a result of it on many levels.

When I initially picked this up, I wasn't entirely sure of what to expect. I'd hoped to do a deep dive on the more literary side: what is Gothic Appalachia, and what does it stem from? Not only did this give me a ton of reads to start with, but gave me that connecting thread through them all of what makes it so haunting, compared to the more traditional Gothic (religion, god as cornerstones in my experience).