Is Gothic literature dead?

[Cherchezlafemme]

I'm one who doesn't consider Rebecca a "gothic romance." Sure, it's a rip-off of Jane Eyre, but it is less about a man becoming worthy of a woman (Rochester and Jane), and more a tale of obsession, malice and manipulation. When I was younger I used to idolize Rebecca, considering it a romantic story, but when I re-read the book 18 months ago and then rewatched the movie, I was turned off. Maxim de Winter was a sad, manipulative mess, and the end of the book is rather bitter: the second Mrs. de Winter has only gained some measure of confidence and security in Maxim's "love" because he's weak. It's a pretty nasty story when you think of it, and a testament to du Maurier's immense skill that it is so engrossing and memorable.

However, back to the subject: I don't think the gothic romance (in the vein of Holt, Whitney, et al) will make its return. Even though a few of Victoria Holt's books have been reissued, I think the genre is viewed by most people today as somewhat kitschy. Or at their most superficial, anti-feminist due to the gothic craze producing a "formula" (innocent heroine, cruel hero, spooky atmosphere, other woman) that the best gothic romance writers didn't even do (compare a churned out GR to a Victoria Holt novel, or even a Madeline Brent, and you'll see that people took the superficial elements of the genre and produced tons of books in that vein). I write, and most of my books have an element of gothic romance in them, but readers today either don't have the patience with the GR "formula" or they don't realize they're getting it through the best-selling category romance line: Harlequin Presents.