Beliefs of the Gothics

Please use this information to answer the questions about the beliefs of the Gothics on your handout.

Beliefs of the Gothics:

As opposed to the idealistic beliefs of Transcendentalism, the Gothics (also known as the Dark Romantics) emphasized that humans are imperfect and are prone to sin and self-destruction. Furthermore, Gothic writers were more realistic about social reform and believed social changes were difficult or impossible.  

Unlike the hopefulness of writers like Emerson, the Gothics believed humans were more dark and deceitful. The Gothics believed people had the ability to be good, but ultimately the evils of the world would cause people to make poor decisions. Furthermore, Gothics believed the human psyche (the human mind) was filled with mystery and twisted thoughts.

Similar to the Transcendentalists, Gothics believed the government and organized religion were restrictive and ultimately bad for humanity. They felt that strict religious doctrine was too controlling of human thought, and they believed the government was oppressive to the masses. Additionally, the Gothics believed the pursuit of wealth caused people to do evil things to one another.

Also similar to the Transcendentalists, Gothics felt that the individual mind was very powerful and should be celebrated. They wanted people to question the world around them and see things in a new way. The Gothics were very interested in the powers of imagination, and they actively explored the aspects of our world which cannot be explained with facts.