Under the Bed Creeping: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Gothicism in Children's Literature

My dissertation, titled Under the Bed Creeping, explores the various ways in which gothic elements function in Children's Literature, specifically in Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market, Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, Neil Gaiman's Coraline, multiple versions of Little Red Riding Hood, and J.M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy. I examine the effects of gothicism within the context of Erik Erikson's landmark theories concerning his psychosocial stages of development. By linking a particular stage to each of the aforementioned texts, I highlight various ways that gothic elements, which often build upon conflict and trauma for setting and character development, are crucial in helping both child and adult readers progress through different stages of growth and maturity. I believe that gothicism, which often functions in a parental role for the reader, is a crucial component in children's texts because gothicism helps to initiate various stages of maturity in both a social and a sexual context. The anxiety and terror that permeate gothic texts often spark reflection and observation in the mind of a child or adult reader, whether consciously or subconsciously, and thus allow for a deeper understanding of how the greater world functions. At some point in our lives we all encounter the "Big Bad Wolf," but how we manage the fears he elicits will depend on our own psychological development and the lessons we have already learned from not only literature, but also from friends, parents, and the community.