Are There Any Romanticist Works Laced with Cosmic Horrors?
The integration of cosmic horror themes within the romanticist literary tradition has always been a subject of keen interest to scholars and enthusiasts alike. While traditional romanticism predominantly celebrated beauty, nature, and individualism, the darker side of these elements often found expression through the emerging genre of cosmic horror.
The Quest for Cosmic Horror in Romantic Literature
In my quest to identify romanticist works that delved into cosmic horror, I have searched high and low yet remain skeptical of finding truly representative examples. The critical elements of cosmic horror—often characterized by overwhelming reality, mind-bending landscapes, and existential dread—do not always align with the conventions of romanticist literature, which tend to emphasize emotionalism and idealism.
Edmund Burke: The Sublime and the Beautiful
Edmund Burke’s seminal work, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful, provides a philosophical foundation rooted in sensory and intellectual reactions to overwhelming experiences. While not a work of fiction, it does offer insights into the concept of the sublime and how it can evoke a form of cosmic horror. The heightened emotions evoked by the sublime can indeed provoke a sense of overwhelming dread and unease, reflective of cosmic horror's essence.
Edgar Allan Poe and Cosmic Horror
Edgar Allan Poe, often associated with the gothic horror genre, offers a unique perspective. While Poe’s narratives such as The Pit and the Pendulum do not feature overt supernatural elements, the overwhelming reality and psychological torment he inflicts upon his characters can be seen as a precursor to cosmic horror. The story’s depiction of a medieval torture chamber and the protagonist’s mental unraveling highlight the existential themes that resonate strongly with cosmic horror.
Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Depth of Cosmic Horror
My spouse, Michael Strong, suggested two works by Nathaniel Hawthorne that offer a deeper exploration of cosmic horror themes: The Minister’s Black Veil and Young Goodman Brown.
The Minister’s Black Veil
In The Minister’s Black Veil, the chilling element is the inexplicable reason behind the protagonist wearing a black veil. Hawthorne’s narrative delves into the nature of human evil and the irreducibility of sin, which can be interpreted as a cosmic horror. The veil itself symbolizes the indescribable horror and the fear of the unknown or the unseen, reflecting a profound and unsettling existential dread.
Young Goodman Brown
Young Goodman Brown takes the exploration a step further. A walk in the forest morphs into a distorted reality, populated by interdimensional creatures and manifestations of evil. The forest itself becomes a otherworldly dimension, symbolizing the depths of human consciousness and subconscious. The setting serves as a spotlight on the abnormality and wrongness of the landscape, creating a mind-fuck experience that epitomizes cosmic horror. The story challenges the protagonist’s understanding of reality, forcing him to confront the darkness within himself and the supernatural forces that govern the cosmos.
Conclusion
The integration of cosmic horror into romanticist literature, while not abundantly present, does offer several thematic and stylistic parallels. Works like those by Edmund Burke, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others hint at the genre's potential within the romanticist tradition, even if they do not fully embody its essence. The explorations of cosmic horror in these works underscore the complex interplay between beauty, reality, and the darker aspects of human existence that are central to the genre.