Gothic Literature

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Gothic Literature

• An Introduction to Unit 2
• Tales of the Strange and Mysterious

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Think about it

• The most beautiful thing we can experience is the
  mysterious. It is the source of all true art and
  science.
• Albert Einstein

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Essential Question

• What are the characteristics of Gothic
  literature?

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What is Gothic literature?

• def. literature that relates to an 18th and 19th
  century style of fiction characterized by
• Medieval settings
• Murky atmospheres of gloom and horror
• Macabre, mysterious, and violent incidents

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Gothic Literature---Settings

• set in Medieval times
• set in castles or drafty old houses
• set in monasteries

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Setting details

• secret passages
• trap doorsentrapment
• secret rooms
• dark/hidden staircases
• ruined sections
• near cavesclaustrophobiamystery

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Mood

• an atmosphere of mystery and suspense
• threatening feeling
• fear enhanced
• by the
• unknown

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Motifs

• ancient prophecies
• might be connected with the castle/house
• obscure, partial, confusing
• might take the form of some ancient legend
• omens, portents, and visions
• disturbing dream
• portent ex. a falling statue of the lord of the
  manor foreshadowing his death
• involve superstition

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Plot

• supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events
• walking ghosts or giants
• live inanimate objects
• often built around a mystery such as unknown
  parentage, a disappearance, or some other
  inexplicable event
• violent incidents

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Characterization

• women in distress
• lonely
• subject to cruelty
• dramatic emotions
• highly sentimental narrator
• characters overcome by anger,
• outrage, sorrow, surprise, terror
• madness
• emotional speeches
• paranoia
• feeling of impending doom

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Symbolism, Imagery, Metonymy

• Metonymy- subset of metaphorfigure of speechone
  object /concept represents another related object
  or concept
• Darkness, gloom and horror
• howling wind
• blowing rain
• doors grating on rusty hinges
• sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds
• approaching footsteps
• clanking chains
• lights in abandoned rooms
• gusts of wind blowing out lights
• characters trapped in a room
• doors suddenly slamming shut
• ruins of buildings
• baying of distant dogs or wolves
• thunder or lightning
• crazed laughter

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Tales of the Strange and Mysterious

• The Landlady by Roald Dahl
• The Monkeys Paw by W.W. Jacobs
• The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Alan Poe

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The Landlady

• In this mysterious short story by Roald Dahl, the
  protagonist is seventeen-year-old Billy Weaver.
  In an overnight stay at an eerie bed and
  breakfast, Billy finds that appearances are not
  always what they seem. True to the mold of Gothic
  settings, this short story incorporates an old,
  mysterious
• house. There is also a deranged character.

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The Monkeys Paw
In W.W. Jacobs The Monkeys Paw, Mr. and Mrs.
White find out that three wishes are not always a
the good fortune that one would expect. They get
a gruesome surprise. This selection incorporates
Gothic elements of portent and suspense.
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The Tell-Tale Heart
In classic Poe tradition, this short story chills
and thrills the reader. A mad narrator recounts
the dastardly deed done to an unsuspecting old
man with an unsightly physical defect.
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Summary/Review

• What are the characteristics of Gothic
  literature?
• What Gothic elements can you identify in popular
  horror films/fiction of the current times?

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Writing Exercise Gothic Literature
Writing TASK Title Gothic Literature Writing
Activity Subtitle Writers Choice Use what you
know about Gothic literature to begin writing a
short story with a Gothic twist. Use one of the
following jumpstart ideas or come up with one of
your own. Your goal is to write at least 1 page,
but write as much as you can in 10 minutes. Be
prepared to share your writing. 1. Use your
school, home or neighborhood as a setting. 2.
Base your short story on an actual dream that you
have had. 3. Jumpstart line She seemed terribly
nice. 4. Jumpstart line It is impossible to say
how first the idea entered my brain, but
once conceived, it haunted me day and
night. 5. Jumpstart line He put a spell on it
so that three separate men could each
have three wishes
from it.