3. Small Town Gothic

In literature, gothic refers to a certain genre or style of fiction writing. According to the Norton Anthology of English Literature, the term gothic refers to a work that has some element of terror and medievalism as well as a sense of pleasure in reading it. In other words, it's not terrifying to make you never want to read it again, but it's terrifying to entertain the reader. Part of the reason I think this novel is so terrifyingly entertaining is because it plays with our greatest fear...that is the fear of not knowing. Stephen King deals with characteristics of the gothic style such as dark cellars, bloody scenes, eerie winds and monster-like creatures such as vampires. All of which we don't see every day.

Like many other writers, Stephen King implemented the gothic style into a small town setting; the little town of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine. The novel wouldn't have been the same without this effect. It helped place an emphasis on the idea that a small town isn't always as safe as it seems. No matter how well you think you know someone in your town, you could be wrong. The small town gothic style also allowed Stephen King to implement history into the town and the house, making the novel come alive with small town gossip and making your mind wander.

p. 36

"They fell silent, both thinking of the Marsten House. This particular reminiscence did not have the pastel nostalgia of the others. The scandal and violence connected with the house had occurred before their births, but small towns have long memories and pass their horrors down ceremonially fromg generation to generation."

I think this small town gothic novel is successful because it hinted at that fear of not knowing what was going on right under your nose. The characters became real when they started fighting with the their own sanity as to whether to believe what they were seeing and hearing or to go on and pretend everything was okay. The small town atmosphere provided a place for fear to grow in the minds of the reader and helped the reader form a connection with the characters in the novel. The whole time I kept thinking, "What would I do in that situation and who would I trust myself to believe?"