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Often affiliated with darkness, the macabre, cult rituals, body art, aggressive music, bleak appearances and anti-social behavior, the term or perhaps even the concept of Gothic has been around for many years and is still common throughout contemporary society. However, having become lost within modern discourse, stigmatizations and stereotypical perception, often portrayed through the mass media, Gothic has become marred by misunderstanding and is commonly thought of, only in terms of youth sub-cultures and their angst-ridden perception of the society which surrounds them. Such clich stereotypes, however, are often little more than the socially constructed terms used to identify and categorize those individuals who seem to fall beyond both social and cultural norms. Taking the vexing issues surrounding the concept of Gothic and the ambiguity of the sub-culture, this essay aims to examine the existence of such groups and the ideological or philosophical foundations, which underpin them.

Although often recognized resulting from its affiliation with youth sub-cultures, the word Gothic itself, is rich in both historical and cultural significance. Essentially, the Goths were a Germanic tribe whom spoke a language referred to as Gothic. This concept of Gothic was also most popular during the Renaissance and was attributed to various forms of art and artistic composition. Similarly, it was a style of sharp aesthetic Architecture iconic throughout Europe during the 18th century and at the same point in time, used as a literature term and was inexplicably linked with the movement of romanticism. However, having been linked with the emotional and bleak elements of romanticism and the shadowy elements of the macabre, the term gothic came to represent all that which was bleak, depressing and in some ways unknown or mysterious. Taking this into consideration, it is little wonder how the term came to represent what is today known as the gothic sub-culture. Nonetheless, the question remains; what does gothic mean in contemporary society and from where were the philosophical elements of the movement derived?

Unique in appearance, ideology and philosophy, yet undeniably a construction of numerous other social and cultural elements, the idea of Goth or Gothic, as it is understood today, is often an area of contest. Yet, despite the vexation around its formation, the very essence of modern gothic culture and ideology can be traced back to a single club operating out of London

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