The Goth Handbook: How To Get In The Subculture

A Brief History Of Goths

🖤AUTHOR'S NOTE: 🖤Hey you guys, welcome to the 2nd chapter of "The Goth Handbook: How To Get In The Subculture" by yours truly, and thank you for clicking on this book, it means the world to me!

Anyways, the chapter below is a scipt from TED Ed [Video Credit above] so you can read and listen to it like and audiobook. If you see the " •••" sign then that means the following paragraph is written by me. So enjoy!

Via TED Ed:

What do fans of atmospheric, post-punk music have in common with ancient barbarians? Not much. So why are both known as "Goths?" Is it a weird coincidence, or a deeper connection stretching across centuries?

The story begins in Ancient Rome. As the Roman Empire expanded, it faced raids from the semi nomadic populations along its borders. Amongst the most powerful leaders, were known as goths, who were composed of 2 tribal groups, the 'Visigoths', and the 'Ostrogoths'. 

While some of the tribes remain Rome's enemies, the empire incorporated others into the imperial army. As the Roman Empire split into 2, the tribal armies played larger roles, in its defense, and internal power struggles. In the 5th Century, a mercenary revolt, led by a soldier named Odoacer, captured Rome, deposing the Emperor. Odoacer and his Ostrogoth successor Theodoric The Great, technically remained under the Roman authority, so they maintained the traditions. 

But the Western empire would never be united again. Its dominions became ruled by goths, and other germanic tribes, who assimilated into local cultures, though many of their names marked the map. This was the end of the classical period, and the beginning of what others call,Tenebris Saeculorum ( The Dark Ages).

Although Roman Culture was never lost, Its influence declined, and new styles arose.

 The new style focused on religious symbolism and allegory, instead of proportions and realism. This soon shifted to architecture, with the construction of Abbey Son Deni in France. Pointed edges, flying buttresses, and large windows, make the structure more skeletal and unique. That emphasized its large reminiscent interior, rather than the sturdy walls and columns of classical buildings.

 Over the next few centuries, this became a standard model for cathedrals all around Europe, especially France. But fashion changed, with the Italian renaissance admiration, for Ancient Greece Rome, the more recent style began to appear crude and rather inferior in comparison with other art styles of the Century. Writing in his book, 'The Life Of An Artist', Giorgio Visari was the first to coin the term "gothic". 

The name stuck, and soon was used to describe the Tenebris Saeculorum period of Ancient Rome, with it being linked to darkness, superstition, and simplicity. But time marched on, and so did what the time considered 'fashionable'. In the 1700s, a period named 'The Enlightenment' came about, which valued scientific reason above everything else. Reacting against that, romantic authors like Gerta and Biolon, saw idealistic visions of natural landscapes, and mysterious spiritual forces. 

Here, the term 'gothic' was repurposed again, to describe a literary genre that emerged as a darker stream of romanticism. First applied by Horace Walpole,4th Earl of Orford, also known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, south-west London, in one of his books 'Castle of Otranto' which was a reference to dark atmosphere. His book was so popular that sources describe him as the man who "revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors".

The Gothic Label became part of literature until the 19s new musical scene emerged, that was an era of music that included angsty lyrics, unsettling noises,and loud instrumentals, which gave birth to popular (and my own personal) favorite bands, like Sisters Of Mercy, Joy Division, Type O Negative, The Cure, Bauhaus, and more.

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After the musical era, more 'dark induced' came, like outrageous fashion, and even things like lifestyle, and home decor and 'gothified'. Overtime, new subcultures branched, like "cybergoth","hippie goth","gothabilly","steampunk","victorian-goth" and even more.

 There was a new term, called an eldergoth, a term that started out as a joke to describe someone who's been goth for ages. These days, the goth subculture has taken a new form of a new subculture, called "The E- Community"(which is for the 'E-Girls' and 'E-Boys') and the 'Alt Community', (people who are part of a community that self-describes as "alternative" or "ALT").

 These communities have started out as a tiny little group infamous social-media app TikTok, and have been popularized even further by Youtube and Instagram. They have different ways of expressing 'goth', like dyed hair, short skirts, and chains.

 Even through all the negative responses from the media and stereotypes, the goth subculture is a community that will stick together and will not fall down. Through soldiers and warriors from ancient Rome, to authors finding beauty in the darkness, to gothic-rock bands, to teenagers knowing it's not a phase, in the end, it's simply how a person feels comfortable, and how they express themselves.