characteristics of gothic literature english iii mrs. dunn-reier

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Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

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Page 1: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Characteristics of

Gothic Literature

English III

Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Page 2: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

When did it become popular?

• Later 18th Century• Started with a “Gothic

Revival” -- mid-1700’s• Visible in gardens• Seen in architecture

(gargoyles) of the Middle Ages• 1740’s - Horace Walpole -

Strawberry Hill estate near London

• Published The Castle of Otranto: a Gothic Story - 1764

http://www.puzzlehistory.com/gothgrdn.jpg

Page 3: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Application to literature

• Any kind of romantic, scary novel

• Came from Germany in the late 1700’s - early 1800’s

• Popular among female writers

• Became best sellers!

http://www.greatscotland.be/evenementen.htm

Page 4: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Famous Gothic Writers

• Ann Radcliffe - The Mysteries of Udolpho

• Jane Austen -- Northanger Abbey (parody of Gothic novels)

• Charlotte Bronte -- Jane Eyre• Emily Bronte -- Wuthering

Heights• Shirley Jackson, Daphne du

Maurier, Barbara Michaels, Anne Rice

Page 5: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

A classic

• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818)• Single most important

product of this tradition• Themes relate to

science, poetry, psychology, alienation, politics, education, family relationships, etc.

• Tradition: 8-foot tall monster made of separate body pieces

librarycommission.lib.wv.us/ WVLC%20BOOK/Frank...

Page 6: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Influence felt elsewhere

• Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge-- skeleton ship and the crew’s reaction

• Christabel by Coleridge-- atmosphere, setting, and fragmentary plot of seduction and witchery

• Manfred by Byron -- initial scene

• The Even of St. Agnes by Keats -- setting

http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/images2/ancient_mariner4.jpg

Page 7: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Famous Gothic Writers - cont’d.

• Edgar Allen Poe

• Steven King

http://www.3boysproductions.com/MIFF-2002-Fri-Nite-Program.htm

http://www.1001-votes.com/vote/fond.php?mcat=24&lg=fr

Page 8: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Characteristics

• Set in Medieval times• Dark, mysterious, evil

tone• Dark castles, palaces,

chambers, haunted mansions

• Isolated setting• All come together to

emphasize the sense of evil

http://www.encounterspri.com/Articles.htm

Page 9: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

More characteristics

• Presence of ghosts, spirits, vampires, and other supernatural entities

• Mysterious disappearances and reappearances

• Supernatural or paranormal occurrences

http://www.penelopesweb.com/gargoyles.html

Page 10: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Characteristics -- cont’d.

• Religion, usually Christianity or at least spirituality, is confronted.

• A gothic “double” is used in which a character who seems to be good is linked with another who is evil

www.pagedepot.com/.../ GOTHIC%20CHAPBOOKSX.HTM

Page 11: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

More characteristics

• Blood, pain, death• Cruelty• Eroticism• Characters with “aberrant

psychological states”• Events are “uncanny,

macabre, or melodramatically violent bordering between reality and unreality http://www.pantip.com/cafe/chalermthai/

newmovie/hauntedcastle/hc.html

Page 12: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Purpose

• To evoke “terror” versus “horror” in the reader because of situations bordering reality/unreality•Often used to teach a

message

• May lack a Medieval setting but will develop an atmosphere of gloom and terror

Page 13: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Differentiating between the two

• Horror•“An awful

apprehension”•Described distinctly•Something grotesque•So appalling,

unrealistic•Depends on physical

characteristics

• Terror•“A sickening realization”•Suggestive of what will

happen•Depends on reader’s

imagination•Sense of uncertainty•Creates an “intangible

atmosphere of spiritual psychic dread”

Page 14: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

American Gothic

• Important from the mid-18th Century on

• Related to “Romantic Period”

• Criticizes “national myth of new-world innocence by voicing the cultural contradictions that undermine the nation’s claim to purity and equality” - Teresa A. Goddu•Tells of historical horrors that make

national identityhttp://photos1.blogger.com/img/154/1420/1024/american%20gothic.jpg

Page 15: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Southern Gothic

• Customary setting because it’s the source of values not necessarily welcome in the rest of the country

• Poe was the first Southern gothic writer

• Common themes: race, alienation, sense of “otherness”

http://www.madelinecarolgallery.com/images/Southern%20Plantation.jpg

Page 16: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Cyber gothic literature

• Situations seem unrealistic during this time period but possible in the future

• Dark setting• Nothing natural; all man-made• Characters’ bodies are often

altered, making them less human-like

• Based on knowledge and a “technologically enhanced future” http://darklands.ivory-tower.net/index.php?

module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=17&meid=-1

Page 17: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Your assignment

• Work in groups of 4-5• Take turns around the circle

creating a “gothic” story - campfire style - 3-5 mins. in length

• Take notes and write down key plot points

• Write down gothic elements included

• Be prepared to share with the class next time we meet.

http://www.illustrationweb.com/artist_pages/artist_images/artist_4/the_pit_and_the_pendulum.jpg

Page 18: Characteristics of Gothic Literature English III Mrs. Dunn-Reier

Sources of text

• http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~mdward/essay2.html

• http://www.wwnorton.com/nael/romatic/topic_2/welcome.htm

• And others