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Gothic Literature Elements, Literary Devices & Background on 2 Authors in the Genre.
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Gothic Literature Elements, Literary Devices & Background on 2 Authors in the Genre
Objective: By the end of the lecture and subsequent activities, we will be able to identify what gothic literature looks like, we will recognize different literary devices, and we will be acquainted with famous authors within the genre. We will also recognize how this genre has shaped our current entertainment outlets… particularly during this fall Halloween season.
Gothic Style – a style of writing that is characterized by: • a story set in bleak or remote places • a plot involving macabre (personification of death) or violent incidents • characters who are in psychological and/or physical torment • the presence of a supernatural or other worldly element
Dark Humor • the use of the morbid (depressing, gruesome) and the absurd (irrational, meaningless) for darkly comic purposes in modern literature writing that juxtaposes morbid or ghastly elements with comical ones that underscore the senselessness or futility of life; black humor often uses farce and low comedy to make clear that individuals are helpless victims of fate and character.
The Grotesque Character • one who has become bizarre or twisted, usually through some kind of obsession; traits may be expressed in a character’s physical appearance, or they may be hidden, visible only in a character’s actions and emotions. • Absurd or extreme behavior, distortions, and striking incongruities combine to create images of the grotesque.
MUUUUURDERRRRRR • The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Perhaps the most shocking and most significant crime of the 19th century was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865 at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. The assassin was the actor John Wilkes Booth, a notable actor deeply embittered by the outcome of the recently concluded Civil War. • • The Lizzie Borden Murder Case . Except for the Lincoln assassination, the most notorious murder case in 19th century America was the double murder in 1892 which may have been committed by Lizzie Borden, a young woman in Fall River, Massachusetts. As the popular and grisly playground rhyme goes... Anyway, Lizzie was arrested and put on trial. Newspapers transmitted every detail as high-powered legal talent battled it out. And in the end Lizzie Borden was acquitted. But doubts about the case persist, and to this day experts come along and debate the evidence. • • Helen Jewett.According to various accounts, in early April 1836 Robinson (Jewets suppose killer) had been embezzling money to lavish on Jewett, and he became worried that Jewett would expose him. Rosina Townsend claimed that Robinson came to her house late on a Saturday night, April 9, 1836, and visited Jewett. In the early hours of April 10, another woman in the house heard a loud noise followed by a moan. Looking into the hallway, she saw a tall figure hurrying away. Before long someone looked into Helen Jewett's room and discovered a small fire. And Jewett lay dead, a large wound in her head. Robinson was charged with the murder of Helen Jewett. And the newspapers had a field day.
Diseases • 1793: Yellow Fever Outbreak in Philadelphia : In 1793, Philadelphia was the nation’s capital and its busiest port. That summer, a group of refugees from the Caribbean Islands brought Yellow Fever with them to Philly. Conditions were perfect for mosquitoes, which helped spread the disease that causes yellowing of the skin, fever, and vomiting of blood clots. People fled the city—an estimated 2,000 people still died before winter (Harvard University, 2012). • 1805 : Tuberculosisbroke out resulting in many deaths. The most common form attacks the lungs with symptoms being flushed cheeks, bright eyes, fever, loss of appetite and a persistent cough, which in the latter stages produces blood. • 1830-1851: Cholera: An infection of the small intestine, still affects between three and five million people and causes nearly 130,000 deaths a year worldwide (CDC, 2011). The pandemic began in India, and then swiftly spread across the globe via trade routes. Settlers travelling along the Mormon and Oregon Trails brought cholera to the United States from East to West, killing an estimated 150,000 Americans (Beardslee, 2000).
Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849
Early life Edgar Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809, to David and Elizabeth Poe. Elizabeth died in 1811 shortly after separating fromDavid and taking the three children David, Edgar, and Rosalie, with her. Edgar, separated from his siblings was unofficially adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan.
Problems begin Edgar went to the University of Virginia at age 17. Even though John Allan had plenty of money, he only gave Edgar about a third of what he needed. Although Edgar had done well in Latin and French, he started to drink heavily and quickly got into debt. He had to quit school less than a year later.
Struggling Writer In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had some of his poetry published. He submitted stories to a number of magazines and they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no job, and was in financial trouble. He sent a letter to John Allan begging for help but none came. John Allan died in 1834 and did not mention Edgar in his will.
Marriage In 1836, Poe married Virginia Clemm. She died in 1847 from tuberculosis.
Death On October 3, 1849, Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore delirious, "in great distress, and... in needof immediate assistance", according to the man who found him, Joseph W. Walker. He was taken to the Washington College Hospital, where he died on Sunday, October 7, 1849, at 5:00 in the morning. All 66 medical records, including his death certificate, have been lost.
Death Some sources say Poe's final words were "Lord help my poor soul."66 Newspapers at the time reported Poe's death as "congestion of the brain" or "cerebral inflammation", common euphemisms for deaths from disreputable causes such as alcoholism.
3 Forms of Irony Situational Verbal Dramatic
Situational Irony • a situation that runs contrary to what was expected by the characters or the reader. Reasonable expectations are not met. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqg6RO8c_W0An example: a man who takes a step aside in order to avoid getting wet by a wet dog shaking off the water, end up falling into a swimming pool.
Verbal Irony – • the use of words to suggest the opposite of their meaning. Often, but not always, verbal irony is used with a sarcastic tone or nature. An example: This steak is about as tender as a leather boot. • https://youtu.be/IiR-bnCHIYo
Dramatic Irony – • a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader knows. We (the reader) are in on the secret! An example: In a horror movie, a character goes downstairs in the dark in order to innocently investigate a sound the audience knows is the killer about to make their attack. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZFYuX84n1U
Poe is famous for his use of …Foreshadow, Alliteration, Repetition, Personification& 1st Person Point of View
Foreshadow • Clues, hints or mentionings that reveal something that happens later in the story.
Alliteration • the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Bears, Bats… BattlestarGalactica
Repetition • Repetition repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer. It could be a word, a phrase, a full sentence or a poetical line repeated to emphasize its significance in the entire text.
Tragedy by The Bee Gees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPcsMMEMbfw Here I liein a lost and lonely part of townHeld in timeIn a world of tears I slowly drownGoin'homeI just can't make it all aloneI really should be holding youHolding youLoving you, loving you TragedyWhen the feeling's gone and you can't go onIt's tragedyWhen the morning cries and you don't know whyIt's hard to bearWith no-one to love you you'regoin' nowhereTragedyWhen you lose control and you got no soulIt's tragedyWhen the morning cries and you don't know whyIt's hard to bearWith no-one beside you you'regoin' nowhereWhen the feeling's gone and you can't go on
Personification • Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are given to animals, objects or ideas. In the arts, personification means representing a non-human thing as if it were human.
Rhyme • A rhyme is a repetition of similarsounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs. • A rhyme is employed for the specific purpose of rendering a pleasing effect to a poem which makes its recital an enjoyable experience. Rhymes offer themselves as a mnemonic device smoothing the progress of memorization. For instance, all nursery rhymes contain rhyming words in order to facilitate learning for children as they enjoy reading them and the presence of repetitive patterns enables them to memorize that particular poem effortlessly. We do not seem to forget the nursery rhymes we learnt as a kid.
1st Person Point of View • Point of view is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story, poem, essay etc. • Point of view is a reflection of the opinion an individual from real life or fiction can have. Examples of point of view belong to one of these three major kinds: • 1. First person point of view involves the use of either of the two pronouns “I” and “we”. • It also directly addresses a listener. Like we are in the room with them and they are telling us an account of something that they witnessed or actually happened to them. • Example: • “I felt like I was getting drowned with shame and disgrace.”
