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Gothic Literature

Gothic Literature. Warm Up. With your elbow partner, match the words on the sheet to their definitions. Then categorize them using the chart at the bottom of the page . Thriller. The vocabulary words on your sheet are taken from the lyrics of a famous song that embodies many Gothic elements.

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Gothic Literature

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  1. Gothic Literature

  2. Warm Up • With your elbow partner, match the words on the sheet to their definitions. • Then categorize them using the chart at the bottom of the page.

  3. Thriller • The vocabulary words on your sheet are taken from the lyrics of a famous song that embodies many Gothic elements. • Turn the sheet over and fill in the blanks with your partner as we listen to the song and watch the video. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA

  4. Goya The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters 1797

  5. Gothic Literature • The text which is thought to have started the Gothic tradition is The Castle of Otranto by Horale Walpole, written in 1764. • It became a popular genre in the late 18th Century, and its conventions have been used by authors ever since. • In the 19th Century, parodies of the genre started appearing, because its conventions were so widely used.

  6. Conventions of the Gothic • Generally involve elements of the horror and romance genres • Sinister settings – castles, dungeons, secret passages, winding stairs, haunted buildings. • Extreme landscapes – rugged mountains, thick forests, generally bad weather. • Omens, ancestral curses and secrets • An element of the supernatural • Representation and stimulation of fear, horror and the macabre.

  7. Gothic Characters • Tyrants, villains, maniacs • Persecuted maidens, femme fatales, madwomen • Ghosts, monsters, demons • Byronic heroes – intelligent, sophisticated and educated, but struggling with emotional conflicts, a troubled past and ‘dark’ attributes.

  8. Examples • Frankenstein – Mary Shelley, 1818 • Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte, 1847 • The Strange Case of Dr.Jeckyll and Mr Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886 • Dracula – Bram Stoker, 1897 • Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier, 1938 • The Stepford Wives – Ira Levin, 1972 • The Shining – Stephen King, 1977

  9. Fear in Gothic fiction-What are we afraid of? Personal fear- Why are we scared of these things? • Dolls • The Dark • Witches • Mental illness/ insane people • Death • Deformities • Twins or doubles Are there other personal fears that people commonly have?

  10. Uncertainty: Collective fear Gothic fiction of the 18th Century was inspired by changes in science, philosophy and culture. The uncertainty that comes with change triggered many fears within people. • Advances in science contradict medieval superstitions • How far will science go? Is Man playing God? • Thinking of individual needs rather than social position • Industrialization causes people to shift to cities • Darwin creates the debate ‘How close are humans to animals?’ • Evolution brings religion into question • Rationalizing everything/ finding logical explanations- many people disliked this or thought we were wrong to assume we could do this. Wanted people to feel extreme emotions again.

  11. Uncertainty: Collective fear • Many Gothic books are close to science fiction, but setting and concentrating on emotions rather than plot action separates the genres.

  12. “The Red Room” • Read the first page of “The Red Room” by H.G. Wells. • Identify and highlight the types of fears that are played upon on the first page of this story.

  13. Discuss • What uncertainties do people in today’s society face? • What certainties could be challenged? • (Think about advances in technology, science, social sciences, values, religions etc.)

  14. Homework • Finish reading “The Red Room.”

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