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The Dance of Light and Darkness: February’s Gothic Descent
Why the Gothic Calls Us to the Shadows or How This Journey Is Changing
As I stand at the threshold of March and with the Carnival season all over the place here in Spain, I can’t help but reflect on the ever-present cycles of masks, transitions, and transformations. We all wear those masks, we all transit and we are all in a constant transformation. But how much more aware we are of all these almost unpredictable shifts and changes is what makes the Gothic such a great ally in my inner world.
As the mornings are getting brighter, I can feel the shy steps of the season into the first flowers of the almond trees on my way to drop my kids off to school and cheering my heart profoundly. The car journey is always a good excuse for my brain to think of how the outer world mirrors my inner processes and it offers reminders of the teasing dance between darkness and light, but also between what we conceal and what we reveal. I often wonder how many people feel this way.
Another recurrent thought always goes into how Gothic literature has long been a reflection of the unconscious and a great tool to expose the forgotten, the repressed, and the truths we fear to face. But to me, this is such a difficult exercise to explore congruently and communicate with…
