Begging People To Read Into The Gothic Conventions Used In “The Secret History” Instead Of Repeatedly

Begging people to read into the gothic conventions used in “The Secret History” instead of repeatedly discussing the queerness (which is ultimately just bad representation and nothing more).

Edmund Corcoran is called “Bunny” to show the corruption of innocence - which was a gothic fear used in novels like Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein. Bunny is innocence, not for his morality but rather because he is ignorant and able to live outside reality with zero consequences (until the ol’ murder and he is corrupted by panic, guilt and death)

Henry Winter is Richard Papen’s double as he represent all the inner darkness within Papen he fails to express. Papen helps them poison Bunny and is complicit throughout the murders but doesn’t take direct action. This extends back to Dr Jeykll and Mr Hyde but I don’t want to discuss that novella rn. You can read this as Papen being Winter’s double, but elaborate because I don’t necessarily agree.

Henry is the epitome of a Byronic hero which was used in Frankenstein and so much more. He dies in such a way in order to solidify his status as a Byronic hero - in my opinion anyhow.

If you google “gothic literature conventions” you will begin to see TSH as less of a “dark academic aesthetic” novel, and more of a gothic horror inspired by Victorian literature okay thank you and goodnight.