Gothic and Grotesque

Gothic and Grotesque

Nothing is creepier than a gripping horror story, however today’s horror genre is filled with axe-wielding maniacs wanting to literally paint the town red. Two stories that probably would not come to mind when thinking of good “wholesome” horror are Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” Although neither of these works is classified as being in the horror genre, upon deeper analysis one will see that both of these works include elements one might classify as gothic, surreal, supernatural or grotesque. These works are not equal, however, as they both have more of one aspect than the other. Conrad’s work has a little bit of all four aspects, with many examples focussing on the surreal and supernatural themes. In contrast, Kafka’s work is less gothic, focussing more on the grotesque, surreal, and supernatural.
Before delving too deep into the works, it should be explained what is meant by the term...