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Question: What is the True defintion of Gothic!?
I don't mean this Americanized version that older adults know as Goth!. I mean, truly, gothic!. Not the kids that dress in all black, listen to metal and pretend to be depressed!. There is such a big difference between metal and gothic music!. Does anyone else know what i am talking about!? It upsets me when kids that listen to metal like freaking Slipknot are classified, " Gothic"

Anyways, I believe it to be a mentality thing!. A love for the erie, Fantasy-based, like old castles and the 1400-1700s!.

I would like some deep thought on this please!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I was thinking about Bauhaus, The Batcave, and stuff!.!.!.not about the mentality thing =D "Gothic" means a lot of things, from gothic art, to related to goths, to gothic literature,!.!.!.to gothic subculture, the one from the 80's, and the gothic-metal subculture, from the 90's!.

Goths, the nordic tribe, has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with neither art, nor literature nor subcultures, both of them!. I think we can't manage to find a "true" definition for gothic, because it has been used in different ways, with different meanings!.!.!.for example, gothic art was called by that by Vasari in 16th Century, being a synonymous of "barbarian", which in latin means "foreign", and with time, became a synonymous of horrible, ugly, indecorous!. Gothic art has nothing to do with goths, really, it was born in France in 11th century, and even then in 18th century, it was no doubt about goths not being related to gothic art, it is today, with those " metal-goths", that the wrong connection was made!.!.!.when talking about gothic literature, we find that the name came after the book "The Castle of Otranto, a gothic story", named like that by his author, Walpole; this is the first gothic novel!. That's all!. The fascination with castles and stuff is a feature of the romantics, what is called historicism, as well as a fascination with anything oriental, using it as a way to scape from reality!.!.!.gothic authors are the same, but dark!. Wapole used the term gothic with the meaning of "horrible, ugly, sinister"!. Vasari used it because the renaissance considered gothic art as, well, gothic!.!.!.!.horrible!. Quite afar from the renaissance ideals!. Such connection between the term "gothic" and the eerie, the occult, the darkness, all that!.!.!.comes from the gothic literature!. Then in the 80's, wether it was Joy Division's manager, Sioxsie, Abbo from the Uk Decay, or a joke!.!.!.gothic music was called like that with the same meaning used in the gothic literature!. It was, then, a strange music, eerie, and also, in some way, dark!. But it didn't came from gothic literature!.!.!.it uses it for the lyrics sometimes, but is not the base!. Then in the 90' Paradise Lost released their album "Gothic" which is the first LP to be considered gothic-metal, and the name came from there!. Just from the album's name,!.!.!.but people tend to confuse and mix everything, and we passed from Sisters of Mercy, to Wumpscut, to Nightwish, to Manson, to Him and to Evanessence!. Suddenly, it was not only music, feelings!.!.!.it was an ideology!. Then, it is a way of life!.

So, ?What's "gothic"!?!.!.!.uhm, I would say Bauhaus, that's the first thing that pops up in my mind, but!.!.!.then I remember goths, gothic art, gothic literature, gothic writting, arrianism, and so on!.!.!.even gothic-metal has it space xD I Think there's no "true" definition, because it can refer to many things, quite despair between them, so!.!.!.it means a lot of things, no absolute definition =) I would say in any case, there's gothic art, which is light, beauty, but over anything, light; and then there's the relation with dark, the spooky feeling, the eerie atmosphere!.!.!.so on, you'll have to puntualize to make your point of view!.

Greetings ;) and sorry for my english, I'm spanish, try my bestWww@QuestionHome@Com

I totally agree with you!. In the dictionary 1!. my friend checked and it said somebody that listens to rock music!. and then 2!. i checked another dictionary and it said Germanic people other wise as German people!. and the 3rd definition of the word gothic is a group of people that go against the practice of the Catholic Church!. So i go in 2 category's of the definitions of Gothic!. 1!. I listen to some rock music!.(mostly my moms fav songs cause she acts like a 15 year old) and 2!. cause i have ancestors from Germany!. But i totally agree with you about the slipknot considered goth and all that!. some people think disturb is gothic when it isnt!. but hey everybody has there own definitions of some words!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

First off I am goth!.

Being goth is much more than the clothes!. I listen to some metal and rock but I enjoy the classics!. Or at least the ones I find interesting!.
Beings of fantasy amuse us so we catch up on our history!. Most of us are quite brilliant!. (doctors,engineers, and so forth) We love the medieval times and find them quite fascinating!. My bedroom is medieval themed!.!.!.I even hide my tv in the closet!.

Every body has a different example or reason to be goth!.

Me, I like poetry, literature, classical music, medieval times, undiscovered creatures, being alone, being outside at night!. And much more!. I hope I have helped!.

There is really no true definition of Goth or Gothic!.Www@QuestionHome@Com