GothicGothic

““The Fall of the House of The Fall of the House of UsherUsher””

Gothic Gothic

Originally signified Originally signified Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (pointed arch and (pointed arch and vault)vault)

OriginsOrigins

Type of prose Type of prose fiction inaugurated fiction inaugurated by Horace by Horace WalpoleWalpole’’s s The The Castle of OtrantoCastle of Otranto (1764)(1764)

Is the Gothic an inversion of Is the Gothic an inversion of Romanticism?Romanticism?

Romanticism/Romanticism/TranscendentalismTranscendentalism Associated with the Associated with the

outdoors and outdoors and naturenature

Looks upward Looks upward toward goodness, toward goodness, nature, air, skynature, air, sky

Being one with Being one with nature: “God nature: “God within”within”

GothicGothic Associated with Associated with

enclosed, man-made enclosed, man-made structures falling structures falling into decayinto decay

Looks beneath a Looks beneath a surface reality to evil surface reality to evil or turmoil beneathor turmoil beneath

Duality or Duality or doublenessdoubleness

Negative emotional Negative emotional states and drivesstates and drives

PurposesPurposes

To create terrorTo create terrorTo open fiction to the realm of the To open fiction to the realm of the

irrational—perverse impulses, irrational—perverse impulses, nightmarish terrors, obsessions—nightmarish terrors, obsessions—lying beneath the surface of the lying beneath the surface of the civilized mindcivilized mind

To demonstrate the presence of the To demonstrate the presence of the uncanny existing in the world that we uncanny existing in the world that we know rationally through experience.know rationally through experience.

CharacteristicsCharacteristics

An atmosphere of gloom, terror, or mystery.

 Elements of the uncanny (unheimlich) that challenge realityMysterious events that cause the

protagonist to question the evidence of his or her senses

The presence of seemingly supernatural beings.

Characters and ActionsCharacters and Actions

Events, often violent or macabre, that cannot be hidden or rationalized despite the efforts of the narrator.

Focus on death and the events Focus on death and the events surrounding death; the living may seem surrounding death; the living may seem half-dead and the dead half-alive.half-dead and the dead half-alive.

Characters act from negative emotions: Characters act from negative emotions: fear, revenge, despair, hatred, anger.fear, revenge, despair, hatred, anger.

CharacteristicsCharacteristics

A disturbed or unnatural relation between the orders of things that are usually separate: Life/deathGood/evilDream/realityRationality/madnessLight/dark

 

CharacteristicsCharacteristics

A hidden or double reality beneath the surface of what at first appears to be a single narrative.

As Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick explains, a primary feature of the Gothic is that the self is “massively blocked off from something to which it ought normally to have access” (12): air, life, knowledge, the rational self.

SettingSetting

An exotic setting isolated in time or space from contemporary life, often a ruined mansion or castle.

The building Associated with past violenceHidden doorsSubterranean secret passages Concealed staircases, and other such

features.

Narrative ArcNarrative Arc

Thus the narrative arc of the Gothic story leads to an exposure of what was once hidden.

It breaks down the barrier between the surface reality and the turbulent reality beneath the surface.

BarriersBarriers

Often a physical barrier symbolizes a barrier to the information that provides a key to the truth or explanation of the events. 

Sometimes the truth is revealed through an artifact that breaches the barrier between what is known and what is unknown

ExamplesExamples

A document telling a family secretA key that opens a secret roomAn object or even a creature imprisoned

behind the wall

What would this be in “The Tell-Tale What would this be in “The Tell-Tale Heart”?Heart”?

What would it be in “The Fall of the What would it be in “The Fall of the House of Usher”? House of Usher”?

PoePoe

Fuseli, Fuseli, ““The NightmareThe Nightmare””

Sedgwick on the Gothic Sedgwick on the Gothic

Something is going on inside the Something is going on inside the isolationisolation (the present, the continuous (the present, the continuous consciousness, the dream, the sensation consciousness, the dream, the sensation itself).itself).

Something intensely relevant is going Something intensely relevant is going on impossibly out of reachon impossibly out of reach. .

While the three main elements (whatWhile the three main elements (what’’s s inside, whatinside, what’’s outside, and what separates s outside, and what separates them) takes on the most varied guises, the them) takes on the most varied guises, the terms of the relationship are immutable.  terms of the relationship are immutable. 

Sedgwick on Doubling in the Sedgwick on Doubling in the GothicGothic

This . . . creates a This . . . creates a doubleness doubleness where singleness should bewhere singleness should be .  . 

Impossibility of restoring the Impossibility of restoring the fragmented elements despite efforts fragmented elements despite efforts to put them back together.  to put them back together. 

Gothic Narrative StrategiesGothic Narrative Strategies

Sedgwick: “the Sedgwick: “the difficulty the story difficulty the story has in getting itself toldhas in getting itself told is of the is of the most obvious structural significance.”most obvious structural significance.”

““It has a similar relation to the It has a similar relation to the convention of live burial.” convention of live burial.”

In other words, the buried narrative In other words, the buried narrative evokes but conceals the unspeakable evokes but conceals the unspeakable truth, as does the convention of live truth, as does the convention of live burial conceal the vital human being.burial conceal the vital human being.

Gothic Narrative StrategiesGothic Narrative Strategies

Interrupted narrative form.Interrupted narrative form.Stories may use multiple starts, frame Stories may use multiple starts, frame

stories, interruptions of stories, letters stories, interruptions of stories, letters or inserted texts, repetition, and or inserted texts, repetition, and omissions of relevant key details.omissions of relevant key details.

Narrators may have partial knowledge Narrators may have partial knowledge from which they piece together an from which they piece together an imperfect explanation of what cannot imperfect explanation of what cannot be rationally explained. be rationally explained.

Thoughts? Questions?Thoughts? Questions?More on the Gothic and quotations More on the Gothic and quotations

from Sedgwick: from Sedgwick: http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amhttp://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/novel.htmlit/novel.htm

1928 Avant-Garde version1928 Avant-Garde versionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Aav1T9xqIIYv=Aav1T9xqIIY