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Gothic Literature

Gothic Literature. An overview. Why is it called ‘Gothic?’. England from 1790 to 1830 Falls within the category of Romantic literature It can be seen as a description of a ‘fallen’ world-ultimately, it depicts the struggle of every human between our ‘good’ side and our ‘bad’ side

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Gothic Literature

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  1. Gothic Literature An overview

  2. Why is it called ‘Gothic?’ • England from 1790 to 1830 • Falls within the category of Romantic literature • It can be seen as a description of a ‘fallen’ world-ultimately, it depicts the struggle of every human between our ‘good’ side and our ‘bad’ side • It is about the result of our fears and repressed emotions and how this divided condition cannot be understood by ‘reason’ • Gothic stories feature themes of despair, the grotesque and horror • These novels explore ‘the other’ and how this change in dynamic ‘spoils’ an otherwise idyllic lifestyle • Some famous examples you may have heard of: • Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte • Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier • Dracula by Bram Stoker • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson • Mostly women authors-why?

  3. More about what Gothic Literature is • Named for the setting - ‘Gothic’-styled architectural building, mostly castles, mansions, abbeys • Architecture labelled ‘Gothic’ as it was considered barbaric, reminding the neo-Classicists of the ‘barbaric’ Goths (a northern-Germanic tribe, probably from modern day Sweden, akin to the Vikings) who had invaded much of Europe around 5 AD. • Dark stories about the supernatural began to be known as Gothic fiction • ‘Haunted house’ stories • Some modern Gothic stories include Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series and Lauren Kate’s Fallen series

  4. Gothic Elements • Setting • Characters • Plot

  5. 1. Settings-vital in Gothic Lit • They evoke the atmosphere of horror and dread • They also portray the deterioration of its world: the decaying, ruined scenery implies that, at one time, there was a thriving world. At one time, the abbey, castle, or landscape was something treasured and appreciated. Now, all that lasts is the decaying shell of a once thriving dwelling.

  6. 1. Gothic architecture: castle, monastery, mansion, basements, attics2. Mist/Fog Literary convention used to obscure objects, reduce visibility, or preclude the insertion of something terrifying. 3. Cemetery 4. Lighting: flickering candle, moonbeams, shadows, electric failure 5. Rugged landscapes: mountains, icy wastes, thick forests

  7. 2. Characters Monster/Villain/Fallen Hero Protagonist Often female and ‘weak’, innocent Pursued by evil force Can’t fight the ‘monster’, so flees instead and is ‘redeemed’ back into ‘normal’ society by a reunion with a loved one Threatened with murder, abduction, torture • Often grotesque • May have ‘sinned’ and caused their own despairing fate or ancestors may have wronged someone and they are now cursed • Could have striven for ‘forbidden knowledge/power and now live in isolation as form of divine punishment • Sometimes has enough ‘good’ points to be seen as more than just the ‘bad guy’

  8. More characters Supernatural beings Revenant The return of the dead upon the living • Vampires • Monsters • Witches • Dark angels • Werewolves • Ghosts

  9. More characters Incarnation of evil Unreliable narrator Audience suspects narrator’s version of the story may be misunderstood or that the narrator is deliberately misleading the audience • Devil-type character • Often the antagonist • Pursues the heroine • Attempts to kill, hurt, destroy, torture

  10. 3. Plot • Spiral narrative • Ascent or descent • Action at night • The pursued heroine • Decay/images of death • Dreams/visions • Ancestral curse • Entrapment/imprisonment • Gothic gadgets

  11. More plot elements • Gothic counterfeit • Mystery • Comedy that precludes tragedy • Necromancy • Body-snatching • Revenge • Sleep-walking • Superstition • Transformation

  12. Now you decide: Is Edward Scissorhands a Gothic film? • Tick the boxes on your handout that appear in the film • Then, describe the element as it occurs in the film • Make your decision: is there enough to justify a claim that Edward Scissorhands is a Gothic film? If yes, then explain why. • If no, then explain why not and what genre you think it fits better into

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