Keywords

Creative Nonfiction, CNF, Gothic, Girlhood, Horror, Essays

Abstract

Gothic Girlhood Horrors is a collection of creative nonfiction examining the formative experiences of girlhood. Through experimental essays, short stories, and other forms of prose, it investigates how universal and personal a young woman’s experiences can be. Part I, “HOW TO BECOME A GIRL,” opens with a coming-of-age story. “GIRL CRAZY” takes inspiration from memoirist Elissa Washuta’s “Sexually Based Offenses,” with the narrator engaging in a hypothetical conversation. Some essays explore the narrator’s relationship with motherhood; others delve into the complex relationship with her own mother. Key moments of girlhood are highlighted, such as dying hair (“let down your hair”) and fangirling (“When We Were Younger”). The narrator uses the lens of Sheridan Le Fanu’s Gothic novel Carmilla in “love letter to a vampire” to reflect on her sexuality and the horror-romance film Lisa Frankenstein in “Nina Frankenstein” to address teenage love. Part I concludes with an exploration of rape and true crime culture.

Part II, “HOW TO BECOME A VIRGIN SACRIFICE FOR SATAN IN 8 DAYS,” is a collection of stories loosely following a ‘How To’ through the titles before what unfolds. This Part explores a manic and psychotic narrator after she sees an angel. The narrator ends up in a crossroads as she struggles to reconcile her relationship with her mother amidst the demons following her.

Part III, “HOW TO BECOME THE FINAL GIRL,” is a series of essays and flash pieces covering themes of religion, anger, and existence. In “(Psychotic) Prayer by The Holy Woman,” “PISSED!,” and “Questions for God/Satan/Whoever,” the narrator continues to struggle with mental health, and further horror inspirations connect to her adult life and survival of trauma.

Gothic Girlhood Horrors investigates how to persevere in spite of heartbreak, hurt, and sinister higher powers, like the patriarchy.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Bartkevicius, Jocelyn

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

English

Identifier

DP0029343

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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