The critical construction of realistic Southern Gothic in the American literary canon

The literary study of realism in Southern Gothic is complicated and often contentious, and has led over time to a critical suppression of realistic genre forms. The purpose of the research in this dissertation is two-fold. The first objective is to explicate the critical construction of Realistic Southern Gothic literature as it has been formed in the American mainstream and the canon. The second objective is to develop a mixed methodological approach capable of examining the complex cross-disciplinary roots of the genre visible in relevant critical scholarship and popular discourse. A conceptual framework has been applied to analyse the broad aesthetic movements, institutional shifts, disciplinary migrations, and cultural undercurrents longitudinally impacting the mode. The innovative mixed methodology utilised in this dissertation integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches. One such innovation is the application of inductive mathematical visualisation to critical historiographical inspection of literary genre; visualisation is an alternative to standard quantitative methods in literary studies. The application of this methodology is explored through literary case studies, critical surveys, comparative analysis, the Google Books Ngram Viewer, and more. A full picture of the critical life of Realistic Southern Gothic literature is unearthed in this dissertation; exposing a complex and vital genre that is still practiced today, and is deeply engaged with the politics of Southern violence, crime narrative, cultural context, and identity.