Posted April 20, 2025 by Kristin Boaz
My First Encounter with the Gothic
My First Encounter with the Gothic, by Kristin Boaz
Before reaching my 5th birthday, I had my first encounter with the Gothic and with trauma. My older brother used to lock me in the closet when he had to babysit me. He blasted Disney’s ‘Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House’ album while I kicked and screamed in the closet. This sounds horrible and makes my brother sound like a less than par babysitter! I often think about that album and the feeling of being held captive to the spooky sounds, and creepy screams and remember how exciting it was. I loved and hated every minute of it! Little did I know back then that these semi- traumatic events would shape my life as a forever Goth!
As a young adult, I had the opportunity of becoming a theme park monster and trainer of all the ghouls at Knott’s Scary Farm in Buena Park California. I became a lover of the macabre and spent many weekends at spooky events, performing or just enjoying the creepy creeps like me. I loved the spooky ghoulies in the movies, read spooky books, and anything that gave me the feeling I had as a kid, that scary magical feeling, the feeling of your heart in your throat and goosebumps on your arms.
After the novelty of the theme parks wore off, I went to college and became an English literature and theater teacher. After years of teaching the classics in high school, I found myself frustrated that the students didn’t get joy from reading the literature we were asked to teach at the time, and subsequently they always seemed to turn in subpar work. There was no passion in their work and in their discussions.
I realized that something had to change in the curriculum. There needed to be a choice for high school students in English. I remembered what excited me in literature as a young scholar, and that was the macabre. So, I began the process of writing a high school Gothic literature course that focused on Mary Shelly, Poe, Irving, and Shirley Jackson. The students loved the course materials and produced amazing essays and classroom conversations. I then wrote a modern Gothic literature course, and focused on Steven King, Anne Rice, and Stephanie Myers. High schoolers were obsessed with the sparkly vampire that Myers created! Because of Myers, and her sparkly, moody vampires, I was able to go into vampire lore and werewolves! College Board accepted my course submission, and I happily taught Gothic literature and modern Gothic literature for years.
At the beginning of each semester, I always liked to survey the students. The question I asked was, “Did scary things traumatize you as a child?” and the answer was always yes! More importantly, with Gothic literature as an option, I was able to get high schoolers to READ and really enjoy discussions and assignments!!! Our trauma of spooky things brought us all together! We bonded over the spooky ending of Poe’s ‘The Black Cat’, and ‘Berenice!’ The students thought deeply about whether Frankenstein had the right to create life! We had endless discussions on Shirley Jackson’s Hill House, and mental illness.
The Gothic, in all its splendor, has shaped my life. I am proud to say that I take great joy in dark fiction. And I thank my brother for tormenting me as a child!
