【单选题】

Unlike some classicEuropean novels,American literature encompasses many different, even unique, styles and genres. One of the most interesting of these is the Southern Gothic subgenre.As its name implies, Southern Gothic literature is reflective of life in theAmerican South. Southern Gothic maintains some of the characteristics of Gothic writing, such as plot development of the supernatural or the ironiC、However, Southern Gothic does not focus on creating tension and suspense like other Gothic genres. Instead, Southern Gothic story lines examine Southern society and its underlying, often implicit, social structure.

Southern Gothic writers generally spurn the stereotype of the gentleman on the plantation and the glamorous Southern belle. Instead, the authors develop characters that are sinister or reclusive and not particularly pleasant on the surface. However, these characters usually have redeeming qualities that allow and encourage the reader to empathize with their situations or dilemmas. It is through these immoral and unhappy personalities that the Southern Gothic writer is able to present and explore moral issues of theAmerican South, such as slavery and bigotry, without blatant accusations.
The main purpose of the passage is to
A、explain how Southern Gothic writers use immoral personalities to explore moral issues in theAmerican South
B．explore the primary stylistic differences between classical Gothic and Southern Gothic
C．argue that Southern Gothic is sufficiently unique to merit its classification as a distinct subgenre
D．deny the necessity of tension and suspense as defining features of Gothic literature
E．describe the identifying features of the Southern Gothic subgenre