Don’t forget about the #1 Southern gothic short story, A Rose for Emily, by Faulkner. His short stories are a good place to start to read his complex works.

I am nearly 70 years old, an inveterate reader who grew up in Georgia, but have since lived more than 30 years in the Pacific Northwest. Let me just say as a native: you nailed it! Thanks.

Born and raised in Georgia, with deep deep familial roots in the state. Growing up I felt the tension between the dark, grotesque themes from the Bible, from our history, and from the poverty just outside of my immediate circle and the high importance of manners, of keeping up a certain happy image. Discovering Southern Gothic literature in high school was life-changing for me because it spoke to the darkness around me that I always felt but that no one ever admitted to in the open.

I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Your videos are so high quality and you can tell the amount of effort put into these.

Not even finished watching. Amazing script, man!

I am flabbergasted at the amount of work and passion you put into that video and I am grateful I learnt so much about Southern Gothic in one sitting!

I stumbled across your channel the other night and was amazed at what I heard. I’m a devotee of southern lit in general and the gothic sub genre, specifically. You described accurately and articulately the characteristics of Southern Gothic lit and put it precisely into historical context. What’s even more amazing, you’re not from the south. You’re a Mexican immigrant living in LA with no personal experience of Tennessee Williams’ Dragon Country. Then you went on to identify the Olympic Team of southern writers, Faulkner, O’Connor, McCullers, among others, and summarized their individual strengths thoroughly. You even threw in a couple of obscure writers, Chestnut (who?) and Erskine Caldwell (sadly, unknown to most readers today). Your addition of Toni Morrison to the gothic genre is a bit of a jolt, but I’ll defer to your judgment. Thank you. If I can just offer one bit of advice? You might want to scrap the straw gardener hat and pick up a white suit, a bow string tie, and a gold handled walking cane. A moustache with soul patch to the point of your chin would seal the deal. Think Colonel Harlan Sanders.

I found your video by accident, and it was a most fortunate accident. This video opened my mind to Southern literature/ gothic, and I will check out your suggested list of literary works. Thanks for sharing the knowledge, and I will check out more of your videos.

just stumbled across u and loved your review of things have gotten worse & i have been searching for good gothic recommendations for so long!!!! goodreads lists can’t be trusted. i love gothic literature too & for my thesis class for my BA in english was on gothics!!! specifically it was on Emerson & sensational gothic literature from the mid 1800s. it is such a amazing genre!!! i wish there were more modern gothic literature!

I will need to rewatch the video several times to grasp all the concepts and nuances that readily roll off your tongue. Awesome lecture. Sad to say that growing up 1000 miles north of the Southern Gothic region, I was not exposed to it’s Literature growing up. Thanks to Book-tubers like yourself, I have been slowly filling in the voids. Thanks!

Okay, so I'm only half an hour in, and I'm loving your explanation so far. I've lived in a 'progressive' area of North Carolina for most of my life, packed with yankees around the academic centers of our universities, and the lack of understanding, the oversimplification, of the history of the south by so many people who move to and live here, is a huge problem. They're scared to drive even 20 minutes out of this area, because they'll start hearing southern accents, seeing poverty, being exposed to the anger and sorrow and visible ghost stories around them. I think a lot of them should listen to this video. Also, if you haven't already seen 'Dirty South', a documentary about media/entertainment portrayals of the south (by BBC, weirdly enough) you absolutely should. Again, as a southerner, can vouch for the fact that Rich Hall (the american that narrates it, who is also from North Carolina) really gets it. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rsV3ZbmAp7G8qIE.html

What a terrific explanation of this genre. I’m in Georgia and also Catholic. Flannery O’Conner was originally from Savannah which is a very Catholic town with the Cathedral and Bishop for most of the state (except around Atlanta). It is rare, but more common than you (or I) would have thought. I love this genre and appreciate your hard work. Thank you and I will check out your newer content.

I just found your channel and really enjoyed this brilliant account of Southern Gothic. As an Aussie, I am more familiar with English Gothic but you have sparked my interest in the Southern version of this genre. You have a new subscriber.

Thank you for your care and honesty in describing the South. Well done. Refreshing.

Good video. I love that you dont just try to show the best novels and use them to describe. You explain what it is before telling us what fits the definition

Probably the best videos on books we can find on KZfaq. Greetings from Brazil

So glad this video was recommended to me and I discovered your channel! Loved listening to this 📚

Incredible video. Working my way through your recommendations. Thank you.

Wow, this video is everything I needed. Thank you sir!

Another great video and a great introduction to Southern Gothic! I have recently been fascinated with Southern Gothic, but more in context of music, visual art and movies. You got me hooked into the literature side as well. Thank you and keep doing your thing! Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 😊

You are truly one of the most interesting and thoughtful creators on book tube. I really enjoyed this video.

My goodness, I loved this talk. Thank you for your work on this, and for your book recommendations. New subscriber!

Wow! Thanks Dr. Juan for this amazing literature class!

I'm sure others have said so but I'll sya it regardless; don't be mindful of video length. I'm sure youre trying to keep this video short to make it seem less intimidating and more accessible but I can PROMISE you that people clicking on this video would revel in more information and recommendations. You're clearly passionate about this subject matter and it's really contagious, I wanna know more too, and I'd love to learn more from you specifically, and I'm going to go check out the rest fo your channel. I hope you keep sharing your passion regardless of video length

Great video!! I love Southern Gothic lit and this was a really interesting and informative video. Also, you are so good at this!! You're doing an amazing job ☺️☺️

Omgosh how do you not have more subs?! I found this video because I was looking for a decent overview of Southern Gothic literature. Yours is by far the best I could find on here, and definitely the most thorough. Subscribing!

No way could I miss this one. It’s one of my favorite genres too. Faulkner is a little over my head but O’Connor and McCarthy and William Gay are three of my favorite authors and ‘Suttree’ is one of the best novels I ever read. And if you aren’t a teacher you really should be.

Thank you so much. That was one of the most beautiful pieces I was lucky to come across on KZfaq.

Holy Moly, what an insightful video. I am a lover of Southern Gothic and I learnt so much watching this video ~ thank you for this!!

Amazing dive into the history and roots of this genre 😍 Also great “tutorial” on how to read it. I’ve read “to kill a mockingbird” and “as I lay dying” (both were translations in Russian) and was so amazed by the style! It felt as if the South itself was a character, that it lived and breathed and shaped everyone else there. Thank you for the video, there not so many valuable discourses on this topic

I just discovered your channel and am impressed. Not just because your videos continue to improve in quality but your taste in writing is excellent I mean I almost never see anybody mention Harry Crews or ballad of the sad caffe. And your explanation and analysis is spot on and help me see more insight into some of these books that I have already read you've turned me on to some books that I didn't know existed and let me just say all and all you deserve more subscribers

Thank you for this masterclass!

Thank you for an enlightening lecture. Your thoughtfulness and preparation are noteworthy.

This was very good from an outsider prospective tracing a single thread through the unfathomably complex history of the the American south. I have lived in or near Georgia, closest to Atlanta all my life except for some years I spent in Seattle. If you look just off the main roads, you can still the railroad tracks that are twisted and over grown by pine tries from almost 200 years ago laying rusted in their slumber after The Great Conflagration. The one thing to really understand about the south is that beyond the geography is that culture and philosophy has always been at odds here. From the Protestants and Anglicans to when the Catholics and the Quakers came, the man who owns the south has always been at contest. As someone who has been called "gringo" and the accompanying other otherizings more times than I can count, the clash of race in the south is just a more obvious and outward expression of the same conflict that has been raging forever. The deep south has been a 300 year edition of the Bosnian conflict. Yes, lesser minds simplify it to what they can see and emulate, but it has always been and it always will be, I assume. We fight the heat, the hills, and least of which, each other for the bountiful prize of southern clay. That aside, This is the only non-music video on YT for Southern Gothic, and im glad it is. I hope many more enjoy it.

Wow, this is exactly the video I was looking for. I am just getting into this genre. Thank you for your work!:)

This is so well done!

Enjoyed this. Learned a lot. Thank you.

¡Gran video, gran explicación!

your video helped my final essay greatly, being a exchange student try to understand American literature is rather difficult. this is surprisingly useful and enjoyable.

Wow this analysis of the southern gothic genre was so helpful! I was actually looking for some good starters to this genre, thanks for adding to my ever-growing tbr list 😂

Geez Bro truly you should be lecturing; thanks for your efforts man you treat your listeners with intellectual respect, all strength to you I have never managed Faulkner I know so few of these writers except Flannery O' my God Conner, what a writer Anyway you have inspired me I'm gonna finish a Faulkner this time and check out Chesnutt Crews and Caldwell Thanks again bro such good work.

This is a really insightful video. Good job! 🙂

Great video, thank you. Have you read Shirley Ann Grau? one of the most overlooked writers of SG, in my opinion. She won the Pulitzer for The Keepers of House, which is brilliant... hm, just mentioning it makes me want to read it again. The Hard Blue Sky is also brilliant. Currently I'm sinking into The Condor Passes. As an Autistic, I typically take things very literally, but since you pointed out the language of passing, mixed, etc, this story takes on a whole new depth for me. Also, Donna Tartt.... from Mississippi... though she seems to set her stories in New England, they truly seem to belong--as you phrased it--to the true SG body. Have you read The Secret History?

Great Video, keep the great content up!

Thank you for this wonderful video. The recommendations are very appreciated. I love Flannery O'Connor and I look forward to reading some of these other authors.

You're absolutely astonishing! You have taught me in this single video more than a bunch of academics trying to justify their preferences. You are a complete master! Please don't stop making videos, your channel was a true discovery for me. PS. Toni Morrison is my favourite author of all time, along with Nabokov and Pynchon. You'll be awesome in giving a whole video-review of 'Blood Meridian'. Merely a suggestion ^^ greetings, my friend!

Brilliant stuff. Love Fall of the House of Usher and, years ago, I committed Roderick's dirge to memory (The Haunted Palace). What a perfect lament of the decay and disorder of a once great and charismatic mind. I just last year went on a Michael McDowell tear, reading "The Elementals," "The Amulet" and the "Blackwater" series. As a fan of horror, I stumbled on "The Elementals," which led me through the other books. Some strong gothic themes throughout his work, particularly with its obsession of the past, dark secrets and the decay of family lines. Great videos!

I'm interested in the Southern Gothic genre and find this to be a wonderful introduction to it, very well done! I very much appreciate this video!

incredible video mate

Some of Truman Capote's early stories qualify as Southern Gothic. If you haven't read them, try "A Tree of Night" and "Children on Their Birthdays."

Thank you so much for this video! I'm trying to write something with this genre feel but with a Canadian twist, You've given me plenty to work with

Wow, thank you so much this is brilliant. 😍

Yesssss southern gothic! My absolute favorite subgenre of horror and one I'm trying to make a comic on (I'm mainly an illustrator so it's more of a labor of love and hobby than anything), can't wait to hear your recommendations on it! Love the hat btw

Excellent video 😍

Your videos are very informative and articulate!! New sub-and liked as well!!!!

Good show. Interesting. You've become my favorite booktuber. I was wondering if James Dickey's "Deliverance" would be considered Southern Gothic, then you answered the question by showing the banjo kid at the end.

Terrific discussion!! I'm from FL and the South has a difficult history. I LOVE many of the authors you mentioned. Faulkner is my favorite, but I love O'Connor, McCullers and Morrison. Beloved might be one of the top 5 American books ever written.

Spectacular research and care taken to controversial subjects!!! Excellent job!

Thank you from Holland! I Am Dutch from mixed, colonial, descent and a long time fan of southern gothic literature. It feels familiair, somehow. You have helped me to understand A bit beter why that is.

I’m so fascinated with this genre. Iv read some Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty but I’m excited to dive into these.

I love Faulkner's 'Dry September'. A masterful short story!

As a native of Georgia, I appreciate your discussion of southern gothic literature and the importance of southern writers in literature in general. Though an inveterate reader myself, I have never been a reader of southern literature as perhaps I feel as if I have lived and am familiar with the tenets of southern gothic. The still existent racism sadly underlies much of southern life. I've never read Faulkner, O'Connor, Welty, Morrison, etc. I need to correct this literary shortcoming in light of your video essay.

excellent!! from N.C., loving O'Connor, William Gay and the GREAT William Faulkner. Flannery and Carson McCullers!!! You have done an honorable job here.

Just added The Violent Bear It Away on my TBR... Interested in the religious aspects of the book as I grew up and still am a Christian... Also added Beloved.. as always your videos are so educational and informative...

I've been doing a little bit of personal research on the southern gothic genre and that's how I found your channel! 02:54 You say here that "A true, in-depth definition [of Gothic Literature] would require hours of explanation" "I planned to do an entire video on defining Gothic Literature but eventually gave up in frustration upon realizing that the script I was writing would probably end up being a 3-4 hour long video" Well, I'd watch that-- or at least be very interested to see what your notes looked like that would have resulted in something so huge.

Southern Gothic writing was so popular because it provided an outlet for tabloid trash, but in an era before there was such a thing as a tabloid, and in such a way as to feel like high literature. Southern culture was chosen because it was considered anachronistic, and Southerners were just close enough to feel familiar, yet strange enough to feel foreign, so that people could find them relatable, yet still different enough to be "the others".

I absolutely love the gothic genre, though I am not super familiar with the southern side I am aware of it. I am familiar with the classic canon and must say that your brief history was well done for as brief as it was.

Woooow😮 it used to be not enough information on Southern Gothic, because it’s a bit niche where I live (ukraine), but I’m a huge fan of this style. Your explanation was immaculate! Your content is great! Thank you! ❤️‍🩹

Pleeeeeeaaaase make videos about the definition of the word gothic!!! You are GREAT!!! Cheers from Brazil

Wonderful!

Love your content!!

Hi Juan....Another great video. I have to digest it in small bits; you have a lot of great information here. Still reading “Hogg”...wow. I just got Jack Ketchum’s “Offspring”...have you read it ?

Love this.

Finally Harry Crews is getting represented on booktube! I think you'd like Crapalachia : A Biography of Place by Scott McClanahan (obvs the title is an homage to Crews). Also, have you seen the documentary Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus? I think you'd love it! God, I love southern gothic. Need to read some Toni Morrison this year for sure. Have you read any rural noir? Also loving that hat haha.

Southern Gothic is rather difficult to define, or at least I find it to be, but you did it very nicely. A Hood Man is Hard to Find is a great one as well as The Sound and the Fury.

Thanks and hails from as far down south as Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 Mil gracias 🙏

I left a long comment on this video yesterday, giving my perspective as a life-long Georgian, and now it has disappeared. I gave some statistics about sharecroppers and talked about coming of age in the 70s and how some aspects of Southern Gothic are frustrating to me. I said I would probably have to write my own brand of the genre myself, even if just for a keepsake for my own family and future generations. Not sure what happened, if it's just a YT glitch or whatnot, but wanted to say again I enjoyed the video.

i love this channel so much!!! you’re my new favorite booktuber :)

I've been watching a lot of your videos lately and I came here expecting a top 10 but I got a lot more of what I bargain for. I found the introduction particularly fascinating. I don't know if you're familiar with the term "Gótico tropical". It's a long story but basically a group of people in Cali, Colombia in the 70s/80s wanted to tell gothic stories set in Latin America (en el trópico). It was a short lived movement but even Salvador Dali was (kind of) involved. There are a couple of short stories and movies made in that period that I think you would appreciate. The beginning of the rabbit hole would be the short story "La mansión de Araucaíma" by colombian autor Álvaro Mutis.

When you talked about southern community's being decent and not caring if it sounds controversial. Its important to remember to take people on a case by case bases. I have faith that there's good people and people who suck in the south just like anywhere ells. They just have a history of racism and all kinds of negativity and some people keep negative values alive. So thanks for brining this topic up

Crews' Feast of Snakes and Body are great. OConnor's Wise Blood is a classic and should be read. James Dicky's poems, too.

I'm learning alot from this video. And I get pissed how teachers and classmates in my uni do not understand any concepts of gothic literature at all. I wish I had a class mate like u man:((((

Great explanation about southern gothic, very helpful. Did you studied literature in college? Saludos desde México :)

This is a terrific examination of an important - and intriguing - subgenre of American literature. What isn't generally appreciated is how isolated most of the South was. There were no cities over a million people until the late 1960s. When Atlanta was burned in the Civil War, it had a population of not more than 15,000. It was a railroad cross roads. This isolation bred the eccentricity, religious deviation, bigotry, incest, and decay that you reference. Thank you!

this video was so necessary! thank you! also, have you heard about Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn? do you think it can be considered southern gothic?

I miss this kind of content soooo much.

Very well done! Thank you!

Great video. Very educational. If you had to choose between one of Flannery O'Connor's novels and the complete collection of short stories, which one would you choose? Would it be a tough choice?

As a southerner i think you did a great analysis. Most of America has no idea what the south is, especially coastal folks (elites). As well renowned Faulkner is youd think there would be a greater understanding. Oh well. F the north.

this was an amazing video! I am currently writing a southern gothic story. My grandmother's family has lived in Tennessee as far back as we can record. My mother was born in a small town in Middle Tennessee and while I wasn't born in the south, I moved from California to TN in elementary school. My memories of the wet hot summers and spending time in the decaying antebellum homes of my grandmother's friends always felt like it would become prevalent to my writing. My grandmother is truly the last of a generation of southern women who were raised disconnected from the rest of the world, and it is fascinating to see her perspective of life and her lasting hope for the south as a place of honest folk, despite how strongly everyone would love to shot that down.

Great video really enjoyed and looking forward to these rec's..I think you have pushed me into creating my own channel to share my taste.. Thanks..

Great list, but... no Eudora Welty? Go read "Clytie" and see what you think. I think you'll like it. I'm not as crazy about Faulkner but "A Rose For Emily" is also as goth as it gets!

This is phenomenal, thoroughly enjoyed it. Let me know if you’ve got a patreon or something 👍

Let me say. As a native born and life long southerner. A conservative and a Christian. I believe your presentation is on point. Thank you for being attention to this historically rich and moving genre. Many shy away from it. It’s hard to tackle. Once again, it’s clear that you truly understand the subject at hand. So many people try to talk about southern gothic literature with no context or understanding. Not knowing at all what they’re talking about. This video was a breath of fresh air.

This is such an in depth look at southern gothic genre for beginners, thank you!

As a southern writer, thank you.

I like your show just found. I have read all the Larry brown I could find. I hope you like him to and talk about him.

Ah, Beloved. I wrote my thesis on Toni Morrison and read and re-read Beloved for it about a hundred times. This book gutted me, but it is also a masterpiece. I was watching your video and waiting for it to pop up :) Also, not to be mean or anything, but methinks your book shelf tour video will probably be celebrating 400 subscribers, if not more! xD

You are amazing

I know I’m super late to this video but I’m from middle Georgia (an hour from Andalusia farm) and let me say *clears throat* you described and explained everything about the Southern Gothic PERFECTLY! I also studied gothic and southern literature at university and you were right on the money my friend.