What Is Gothic?
Excellent FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) in other sites:
- alt.gothic FAQ page -- There is some good information here. However, I don't think it is 100% accurate.
- UK.people.gothic FAQ -- The point of view of the United Kingdom's gothic culture. It is very informative and lengthy.
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The term Gothic is the same as goth, Gothdom, gothik etc. The only difference
is noun or adjective use. Goth is typically used as either a noun (especially
when referring to a person) or an adjective; Gothic is usually an adjective
e.g. That person is a Goth. Those boots are gothic. Goth is often capitalized
when referring to a person. However, capitalization can be arbitrary. There
is no general distinction between these terms or standards for usage. For
our purposes, we'll use these words interchangeably.
Gothic: Of or pertaining to a literary style of fiction prevalent in the late 18th and early 19th centuries which emphasized the grotesque, mysterious, and desolate: a gothic novel.
What does gothic mean in regards to the group of people? Here's where it gets
confusing. There are things that many Goths like that are not gothic
(Industrial or Classical music). There are things that are gothic that
many Goths dislike (vampires, interest in death). There are things that
some people think are gothic that are not gothic (bands like Marilyn
Manson and Nine Inch Nails), and there are things that do not call themselves gothic
even if they are considered gothic by most people (bands like Sisters
of Mercy and Dead Can Dance). However, there's no Grand Gothic Judge to decree
what is truly Goth and what is not, although there are plenty of people who
claim to be it. It's an ambiguous label with many people using it that don't
understand what it means. The people who do understand it often have many different
definitions.
What Is Gothic? Table of Contents
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