The Song of the Gothic

Reading the Gothic poetry, one can't help to see the lyrical, sometimes whimsical nature of the rhyme scheme. They are like nursery rhymes, sounding like songs, and meant to be heard rather than read. However, given the dark subject matter of these poems, like Robert Burns's, "Tam O'Shanter. A Tale," why would these authors want their poems to sound like nursery rhymes?

Tam O'Shanter, as a narrative poem, must be heard to understand its intricacies. Written in a Scottish dialect, the message in the poem is simple, and is meant for the common man. Tam ignores his wife, gets drunk, and witnesses a disturbing vision on his way back to the bar. He sees witches, ghouls and even the devil, while getting his horse's tale cut off in the process. The rhyme scheme in the poem works well as a narrative song, which enforces Burns's message.

I feel that the advent of poetry as a consumer good caused this form of poetry to become popular. People wanted poems that they could recite as scary stories to each other, and these poems lend themselves to that tradition. "Tam O'Shanter. A Tale," serves as a whimsical warning of the dangers of over consumption, and is written in a common dialect for common people to enjoy. These poems must have been wildly popular compared to the more difficult, sometimes inaccessible poetry of the early 18th century, which was often written by the higher class for the amusement of the aristocracy.