The Gothic Romance Wave: A Critical History of the Mass Market Novels, 1960-1993

Ever since I was first introduced to Dark Shadows by my mother when reruns aired in the early '80s, I have been fascinated by the gothic genre.  Perhaps it was my early days of reading the Nancy Drew mysteries that gave me a hint of that genre (what with the haunted mansions, the dark and foreboding atmosphere, and the female protagonist determined to solve the mystery) and whetted my appetite for more.  Whatever the reason, I fell in love with this whole idea of an innocent young girl being thrust into a dark world of mystery and the unknown, forced to gather her wits and strength to face the dangers before her and navigate the labyrinth of lies surrounding her.  As I got older, I began to look beyond those children's series (although, admittedly, I still read and collect those as well) and search for adult gothic tales with darker, and sometimes more "real" supernatural elements.  Authors like Dan Ross (under a variety of pseudonyms such as Marilyn Ross, Clarissa Ross, W.E.B. Ross, and others), Phyllis A. Whitney, Willo Davis Roberts, and others began to attract my attention, and I started picking up and reading these adults novels - and found myself enthralled.  What surprised me, though, is the lack of reference material for these novels that seemed to boom in the 1960s and '70s.  Until I cam across this book.

The Gothic Romance Wave is a study written by Lori A. Paige that takes a literary look at the mass market paperback gothic novels that were published from 1960 through 1993 (and, honestly, I hadn't realized they continued into the '90s - I had always assumed they pretty much died out by 1980 or so).  Paige, who is a professor at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, takes an in-depth look at pretty much every aspect of the era - the authors, the publishers, the covers (and oh, how I love those covers!), the characters, the plots, and the history of the genre itself.  This was definitely what I wanted to know more about!  I mean, I took a class on Gothic literature when I was in college, but it was focused on the late 18th Century and early 19th Century works, such as Walpole's Castle of Otranto and Lewis' The Monk, as well as more recognizable works, such as Dracula and Frankenstein.  We never touched on more modern gothic tales.  So, I was thrilled when I came across Paige's book on Amazon.

I learned considerably more about the genre and the period of publication that I never knew, and it has only increased my desire to delve further into these novels.  Yes, Paige does address the 18th/19th Century beginnings of the genre, but she quickly jumps into that explosion of gothic novels in the 1960s and '70s, when the market was flooded with paperbacks that depicted a young woman, usually in a loose, flowing gown, running in the night ... a dark castle in the background, usually with a light glowing faintly in one of the windows ... sometimes the shadowy figure of a man back in the distance.  Let's face it, we've all seen those covers, and quite honestly, I have joked over the years about how easy it is to spot a "gothic" romance novel, simply by the cover.  Little did I realize how much truth there was to that!  Paige discusses the possible reasons for those similarity in covers, and how they drew the intended audience into buying the books.  I had never realized just how much the market was flooded with these books back in the day (while I was not alive in the '60s, I was around in the '70s for a bit....), and to consider now just how much the various publishers were competing for sales.  In a way, it reminds me of what happened in the movies after the first Star Wars film hit it big - suddenly, the movies were filled with space films of all kinds, trying to compete and cash in on the success of that one film.  

But Paige goes further and looks at what it was that drew readers (mostly women) into these books.  She discusses how, despite critics thoughts to the contrary, the female protagonists were not insipid young women who put themselves into danger and needed men to rescue them; rather, in most of these gothic tales, the young ingenue manages to not only overcome her own fears and self-doubt, but she manages to tame the raging lord of the manor, reveal the identity of the true evil (usually a wolf in sheep's clothing), and cleanse the great house and thee family of its curse (whether figurative or literal).  And reading Paige's analysis made me realize just how right she is!  These young women may seem naive at first (such as Victoria Winters when she first arrives at Collinwood in Dark Shadows), but by the end of the book, they are always the ones who have overcome all of the adversity and brought everyone to the peace and happiness they have been searching for all this time.  

 

But, and this is likely the most important point Paige makes in the book (as far as I'm concerned) - these books were not intended to be critiques on the human condition, nor were they written with the intent to convincing women to be subservient to their husbands or to believe the only way to find happiness in this world is to find a man who will rescue you and marry you - no, these stories were written for two purposes - for the readers to enjoy a good story and for the publisher, and author by extension, to make money.  Pure and simple.  These were not intended to be educational treatises.  And that is where a lot of critics likely make their mistake when looking at these books.  Just like those who criticize comic books, or horror films, or other media forms - not every form of entertainment is there to improve, teach, or otherwise promote some form of betterment for humanity.  Rather, it is simply to "entertain,"as the word says.  And for me, these books definitely entertain.  

Something else I learned in this book is how many authors with whom I am familiar wrote gothic tales during this period (usually under pseudonyms).  I was well aware of Dan Ross and his plethora of names (because of my love of Dark Shadows); I have all of his Dark Shadows books written under "Marilyn Ross," plus several of his other titles under that same name.  I also have his Dark Harbour series written under "Clarissa Ross."  I have books by Phyllis A. Whitney, Willo Davis Roberts, Katheryn Kimbrough, Sharon Wagner, and others.  But I did not realize that authors like Dean Koontz and Michael Avallone also wrote gothic novels back during this time, under pseudonyms, of course.  While I'm not a fan of Koontz, I am a fan of Avallone's work, so I'm going to have to track down his gothic books to see how they fare.

I was surprised to find that Paige makes a rather large reference to Hester Jane Mundis' Mercy at the Manor Manor (my review of that book can be found at Mercy at the Manor Manor), which is a wonderful parody of the gothic romance novel of that time.  I don't think Paige found it as enjoyable as I did, but she did devote a little over two pages of the book to discussing this parody and how it was a part of this period of gothic.  I was also surprised at the several references to not only Nancy Drew (I mean, let's face it, how could she NOT be referenced when talking about gothic stories!), but also to Cherry Ames, who she references in connection with the "nursies" (nurse romance craze that pre-dated the gothic romance invasion of the '60s).

Like with any good thing, though, if you over saturate the market, it's going to eventually peter out, and that's what happened to the gothic craze (only much later than I originally thought).  As Paige points out, though, it didn't really end, as much as it evolved and diversified (so to speak).  The stories became more sexual in nature, and the supernatural elements became much more prevalent - instead of hints of supernatural that were explained away by the end, vampires, werewolves, and such became more real and more important to the plots.  Today, we have stories such as Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey that are riding the waves of success, with copycats trying to catch on as well.  And let's face it - everything has its place and time, and apparently, gothic romance had its time during the mid- to late-20th Century.  And for me, that's okay - because it gives me the joy of hunting down these novels and reading many of them for the first time now.  So, thank you, Lori A. Paige, for raising the level of my excitement for these books to a whole new level!

(The only thing I wish Paige had touched upon, is the male audience of those gothic novels back in the day.  Her book seems to focus on the female readership, which I suppose was the intended audience, but I have no doubt there was a male contingent as well, who probably enjoyed those stories as a guilty pleasure just as much as the women.  Or, is it perhaps, the male fans are only now coming into the picture, decades later, when it is no longer seen as simply a "woman's" form of literature? Hmmm.....)

RATING:  10 issues of the Gothic Journal out of 10 for taking a look at gothic romance fiction with entirely new eyes, and giving fans the justification that they so richly deserve!