Gallants, Ghosts, and Gargoyles: Illustrating the Gothic Tale

Abstract

Gothic literature consists of many elements that have evolved over the centuries. From the first recognized Gothic romance, Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto in 1764, through to American writer Flannery O’Connor’s “Southern Gothic” short stories of the 1950s and ’60s, many features have changed. But, a few have remained largely untouched, and these are important to recognize when developing visual images for Gothic tales. My perspective is as an illustrator rather than as a Gothic scholar. In that capacity my chapter discusses the features of Gothic literature that I find important as an artist, including the themes of romance, the themes of horror and the grotesque, and the importance of religious settings and symbolism, followed by case studies of Gothic works including my illustrations for a 2012 edition of Stoker’s The Lady of the Shroud (1909). I begin by explaining how I conceive the processes of illustration; I will include example images from my own work in graphite and oil later in the chapter.