Episode 58: Let's talk about Mexican Gothic

Notes:

The Verbivore mentions that author Silvia Moreno-Garcia has categorized this book as (Adult) Gothic Horror. She has spoken about the importance of correctly classifying this work in several interviews, but here is the link to one such interview where she clearly states the genre:

https://bookpage.com/interviews/25277-silvia-moreno-garcia-mystery-suspense#.X5XwcNBKhPY

Fable references the opening sentence of Mexican Gothic and the questions it immediately raised in her mind. Here is that quote:

“The parties at the Tunons’ house always ended unquestionably late, and since the hosts enjoyed costume parties in particular, it was not unusual to see Chinas Poblanas with their folkloric skirts and ribbons in their hair arrive in the company of a harlequin or a cowboy.”

The Verbivore uses the term gaslighting when discussing what is happening to Neomi at the hands of the family in High Place. Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse that’s seen in abusive relationships. It’s the act of manipulating a person by forcing them to question their thoughts, memories, and the events occurring around them. A victim of gaslighting can be pushed so far that they question their own sanity.

The Verbivore mentions the bloodless creepieness in Mexican Gothic that feels almost Lovecraftian in its sense of unease and chilling visuals. While doing research, she found that Silvia Moreno-Garcia wrote the script for a Ted Ed video on H. P. Lovecraft. Here is the link to that video:

- Titan of terror: the dark imagination of H.P. Lovecraft script written by Silvia Moreno-García - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M3L4VIZv-U

Books Mentioned:

- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

- Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront

- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

- Dracula by Bram Stoker

Movies Mentioned:

- Jane Eyre (2011) Directed by Cary Fukunaga

- Rebecca (1940) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

- Psycho (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

- Sunset Boulevard (1950) Directed by Billy Wilder

- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

- Nosferatu (1922) Directed by F. W. Murnau

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)