With the never- ending debate of “What is Southern” and “What is Southern Gothic,” I have realized that literary elements such as personification, imagery, and symbolism create an atmosphere that is eerie and
regionally and period-specific. I want to highlight the different ways the supernatural and
spirituality are portrayed between African Americans and White Americans, especially given the
historical context. In my opinion, mental health is a big theme in these Southern Gothic literature
pieces and while being portrayed in a horror element, when it comes to African Americans, it is
almost always tied to slavery, while White Americans have the “luxury” of their horror just being
tied to regular mental illness.
I will be partnering with the African American Heritage Association of Virginia to create a 4-week program for college students, literary, and history lovers alike, to facilitate meaningful discussions on southern spirituality and the supernatural while visiting historical sites in Norfolk and using Southern Gothic literature to draw connections between historical and modern experiences of trauma and resilience.
The program will be supplimented by key works and essays like Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Fall of The House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, and more!
Program Description
Week 1
Location & Activity:
First Calvary Baptist Church (Historical African American Church) (TOUR)
Goals:
- Introduce participants to Southern Gothic literature and the spiritual supernatural.
- Explore the connection between literature and historical context.
Mini Lecture:
- What do you think is considered Southern Lit?
- Defining Southern Lit as a genre in its context to Southern history (including slavery and religion)
Reading and Discussion:
- Read excerpts from Beloved and The Fall of the House of Usher and compare themes
- Discuss how these works introduce themes of spirituality, decay, and supernatural presence
Reflection:
- “How does spirituality in the South differ from what you’ve experienced or read about in other contexts?”
Week 2
Location:
An outdoor space, forest/grove
Goal:
- Explore how spirituality and the supernatural help characters confront trauma.
Activity:
- Read the passage of Beloved (Baby Suggs’ sermon)
Discussion:
- Open discussion on how the themes of spirituality connect to the themes of supernaturalism in the book.
Reflection:
- “How does the theme of the spiritual supernatural work with the elements of mental health within Beloved?”
Week 3
Location:
Haunted Norfolk Tour
Goal:
- Examine the role of place in shaping spiritual and supernatural experiences.
- Understand how the physical environment embodies trauma and memory.
Activity:
- Participants go on a haunted tour and learn about Norfolk ghost stories and folklore.
Discussion:
- Compare the environment of the tour location and stories to Gothic settings in literature.
Reading and Reflection:
Read a passage from The Fall of the House of Usher and consider “How does the supernatural in these stories reveal deeper truths about the South’s history?”
Week 4
Location:
- Webb Center – Classroom or River Rooms
Goal:
- Reflect on the role of spirituality and the supernatural in Southern Gothic literature and history.
Activity:
- Reflect on the program so far: “What has surprised you about the spiritual supernatural in the South?”
- Venn Diagram about the spiritual supernatural between Beloved and The Fall of the House of Usher
Discussion:
- “After reading passages of both stories, how do you think the way these stories tackle mental health and the spiritual supernatural”
Budget
Bibliography
Frederick, Marla Faye. The Cultural Politics of Religious Experience: African American
Women’s Spirituality and Activism in the Contemporary United States South. ProQuest
Dissertations & Theses, 2000
I. M. Walker. “The ‘Legitimate Sources’ of Terror in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’”
The Modern Language Review, vol. 61, no. 4, 1966, pp. 585–92. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/3724024. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Silva, T., & Woody, A. (2022). Supernatural Sociology: Americans’ Beliefs by Race/Ethnicity,
Gender, and Education. Socius, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023122108477
PDF) the Supernatural and the Spiritual Elements in Toni Morrison’s Beloved,
www.researchgate.net/publication/270745914_THE_SUPERNATURAL_AND_THE_SPI
RITUAL_ELEMENTS_IN_TONI_MORRISON’S_BELOVED. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Riddle, A. (2020). Nature and the supernatural in African literature. African
Identities, 18(1–2), 80–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2020.1773238
First Calvary Baptist Church, fcbcnorfolk.com/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.
“Haunted Norfolk Tours.” Norfolk Tour Company, www.toursofnorfolk.com/haunted-tours. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.
“Home.” The African American Heritage Association of Virginia, www.aahava.org/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.