Revisiting the canon: Evolution of evil in American Gothic short fiction

Literature, since its beginning, has aimed to portray man?s complex nature. In addition to this, criticising its own era and the values and beliefs that shaped that era is one of the main motives of literature. Especially, since 17th century, along with ?modernization? of man, these motives have gained acceleration. When the popularity of desire for progress and rationalism have merged with the dogmatic religion, which normally stands at the opposite of rational thinking, the necessary ground for the birth of gothic as a literary genre has become mature. In this respect, Gothic literature since its birth, have served to reveal comparatively darker aspects of history and human nature along with the tensions of the era it has been written through the bizarre and extreme emotions it creates. American Gothic fiction enables American writers to present an alternative criticism of their culture and history. This literary genre also allows them to reach and reflect dark and hidden parts of human psyche to its readers at the same time. These writers convey a nightmarish American experience through using the elements unique to their own culture in addition to some universal elements. These writers present another reality beyond the traditional plot and perceptions and tell stories about evil, good and bad, virtue, humankind and world embellished with awesome and eerie images, suspense and terror in their fiction. Gilman and Hawthorne, whom I have chosen for their tendency to different subjects with a similar approach, tell us the story of a desperate individual, whose experience is shaped by his/her complex inborn psychology as well as the social construction of the era which also has a great influence on human psychology and behaviours, in a fascinating way.Key Words: 1) Gothic Literature 2) American Gothic Short Fiction 3) Psychoanalysis 4) Charlotte Perkins Gilman 5) Nathaniel Hawthorne