UNCANNY POSTCARDS FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTH: THE GOTHIC AND THE GROTESQUE IN CARSON MCCULLERS’S THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER

Abstract

This paper analyses the elements of the gothic and the grotesque in Carson McCullers’s novel “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter”, within its distinct American South setting. By first describing the most prominent features of the South, on the one hand, and defining gothic fiction and the grotesque (both in their general and more specific senses), on the other, the authors examine numerous characteristics of the above concepts that permeate McCullers’s novel. These include, among others, the gloomy weather and the grim and decrepit atmosphere of the mill town in which the story takes place. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the novel is brimful of isolated and lonely grotesque characters that indulge in dreams and nightmares, with sickness, particularly mental illness, and death looming large over everyone. The authors also observe how these characters often find themselves in grotesque situations that end almost exclusively in tragedy and despair. All of these findings situate the analyzed novel firmly within the American Southern Gothic literary tradition.