Her short story collection Haunted consists of mundane Gothic stories in which young girls encounter perversions in an abandoned building, familial murder cover-ups, and the most grotesque Thanksgiving shopping trip of all-time. Some of her stories are more obvious in their tropes-the sexual manipulation and eerie winter campus setting of Beasts or the calm, rational, and terrifying Zombie, written from the mind of a serial killer similar to Jeffrey Dahmer. This use of the Gothic genre defines much of Oates’ work. It is haunted, psychological, maddening there are hints of the supernatural in Arnie’s behavior and the themes of sexuality fit the bill with their promise of corruption. We are not witnessing a damsel being stalked through castle halls, or a fiend at the door of a decaying manor this is America, in the suburbs, where many of us grew up. When Arnie enters the narrative, it dissolves into pure horror-who hasn’t dreaded being home alone, in broad daylight, while a stranger threatens your life for no clear reason? The terror of this moment is heightened all the more by Oates’ familiar setting and characterization. The first half is slow, easy-a youthful summer night. Reading the story for the first time gives the impression of a dream that turns sour. What seems an inappropriate flirtation becomes a nightmare as Arnie displays intimate knowledge of her life, using this knowledge to blackmail her into riding with him. When Connie opts out of a family barbeque and stays home alone, she finds herself holding court with a young man named Arnie, who mysteriously shows up on her driveway. It could be the life of any young, privileged suburban woman, interesting only in its familiarity, which soon gives way to dread. She argues with her mother and sister-both of whom find her to be vain and selfish-and spends her nights out with friends, flirting with boys. There is a perfect example of this in one of her most famous short stories, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The narrative begins with Connie, a 15-year-old just coming to an understanding of her own beauty.
Throughout her prolific career, Oates has returned many times to the Gothic horror genre, even creating her own Gothic saga (featuring Mysteries of Winterthurn and Bellefleur, amongst others) but her version of the genre is distinct, because it is rooted in reality.
But, Joyce Carol Oates proves that the terms do, somehow, fit together. There is nothing mundane about the construction of Notre Dame, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, or the films of Mario Bava. Gothic art and architecture are defined by their elaborate construction, excessive style, and often grotesque elements. The term “mundane gothic” is an immediate oxymoron.
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