gothic literature

Gothic LiteratureAn overview

Why is it called ‘Gothic?’• England from 1790 to 1830• Falls within the category of Romantic literature• It can be seen as a description of a ‘fallen’ world-ultimately, it depicts the

struggle of every human between our ‘good’ side and our ‘bad’ side• It is about the result of our fears and repressed emotions and how this

divided condition cannot be understood by ‘reason’• Gothic stories feature themes of despair, the grotesque and horror• These novels explore ‘the other’ and how this change in dynamic ‘spoils’ an

otherwise idyllic lifestyleSome famous examples you may have heard of:Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Dracula by Bram StokerFrankenstein by Mary ShelleyJane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis StevensonMostly women authors-why?

More about what Gothic Literature is• Named for the setting - ‘Gothic’-styled architectural

building, mostly castles, mansions, abbeys• Architecture labelled ‘Gothic’ as it was considered

barbaric, reminding the neo-Classicists of the ‘barbaric’ Goths (a northern-Germanic tribe, probably from modern day Sweden, akin to the Vikings) who had invaded much of Europe around 5 AD.

• Dark stories about the supernatural began to be known as Gothic fiction

• ‘Haunted house’ stories• Some modern Gothic stories include Stephenie

Meyer’s Twilight series and Lauren Kate’s Fallen series

Gothic Elements

1. Setting2. Characters3. Plot

1. Settings-vital in Gothic Lit• They evoke the atmosphere of

horror and dread• They also portray the

deterioration of its world: the decaying, ruined scenery implies that, at one time, there was a thriving world. At one time, the abbey, castle, or landscape was something treasured and appreciated. Now, all that lasts is the decaying shell of a once thriving dwelling.

1. Gothic architecture: castle, monastery, mansion, basements, attics

2. Mist/FogLiterary convention usedto obscure objects,reduce visibility, orpreclude the insertion ofsomething terrifying.

3. Cemetery4. Lighting: flickering candle, moonbeams, shadows, electric failure

5. Rugged landscapes: mountains, icy wastes, thick forests

2. Characters

Monster/Villain/Fallen Hero• Often grotesque• May have ‘sinned’ and caused

their own despairing fate or ancestors may have wronged someone and they are now cursed

• Could have striven for ‘forbidden knowledge/power and now live in isolation as form of divine punishment

• Sometimes has enough ‘good’ points to be seen as more than just the ‘bad guy’

Protagonist• Often female and ‘weak’,

innocent• Pursued by evil force• Can’t fight the ‘monster’, so

flees instead and is ‘redeemed’ back into ‘normal’ society by a reunion with a loved one

• Threatened with murder, abduction, torture

More characters

Supernatural beings• Vampires• Monsters• Witches• Dark angels • Werewolves• Ghosts

Revenant• The return of the dead upon

the living

More characters

Incarnation of evil• Devil-type character• Often the antagonist• Pursues the heroine• Attempts to kill, hurt,

destroy, torture

Unreliable narrator• Audience suspects

narrator’s version of the story may be misunderstood or that the narrator is deliberately misleading the audience

3. Plot

• Spiral narrative• Ascent or descent• Action at night• The pursued heroine• Decay/images of death• Dreams/visions• Ancestral curse• Entrapment/imprisonment• Gothic gadgets

More plot elements

• Gothic counterfeit• Mystery• Comedy that precludes tragedy• Necromancy• Body-snatching• Revenge• Sleep-walking• Superstition• Transformation

Now you decide:

Is Edward Scissorhands a Gothic film? • Tick the boxes on your handout that appear in the

film• Then, describe the element as it occurs in the film• Make your decision: is there enough to justify a

claim that Edward Scissorhands is a Gothic film? If yes, then explain why.

• If no, then explain why not and what genre you think it fits better into