Gothic literature is a genre that emerged as one of the eeriest forms of dark romanticism in the late 1700s, a literary genre that emerged as a part of the larger romanticism movement. The final assessment was an original story written in the style of the gothic genre. In fact the terms represent two different schools of thought that early writers of gothic literature divided themselves along. Gothic fiction has a unique position in the literary history. Southern gothic literature definition southern gothic literature is a subgenre of gothic literature think poe. Pdf chapter 6, agnieszka soltysik monnets gothic literature in america. May 15, 2014 professor john mullan examines the origins of the gothic, explaining how the genre became one of the most popular of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the subsequent integration of gothic elements into mainstream victorian fiction. Gothic literature is a deliciously terrifying blend of fiction and horror with a little romance thrown in. Southern gothic literature jackson county school district. Keep your text and graphic files separate until after the text has been formatted and styled. Gothic literature movement dark romanticism and the.
Gothic literature combines elements of horror and romance. How does it differ from terror or horror, and where do its parameters lie. I can describe the foundational works of eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentiethcentury american literature. The elements of a gothic novel included an old manor type house or a castle. Elements of gothic literature emotions emotions run high in gothic literature. Gothic is a term associated with a plethora of authors, a few names that arise in the mind when mentioning the genres influence on american grounds are william faulkner associated with the subgenre southern gothic, washington irving and the eversofamous edgar allanpoe. Elements of gothic literature what is gothic literature. Experiments with duality or multiplicity of character play an important role in the history of literature leading up to the 18th century, when the gothic was conceived. This american author has arguably the best fictional portrayal of madness and creeping paranoia ever.
A gothic story which was supposed to have been meant by the author as a subtle jokewhen he used the word it meant something like barbarous, as well as deriving from the middle ages. Gothic literature introduction gothic literature, a movement that focused on ruin, decay, death, terror, and chaos, and privileged irrationality and passion over rationality and reason, grew in response to the historical, sociological, psychological, and political contexts of. The gothic novel has a long history, and although it has changed since 1765 when it began with walpoles castle of otranto. Gothic fiction, which is largely known by the subgenre of gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature and film that combines fiction and horror, death, and at times romance.
The castle is the main setting of the story and the centre of activity. The gothic literature from the late 1700s to the late 1800s featured a multitude of female characters with monstrous qualities, specifically their transformative and transgressive bodies. The themes that occur in literature are almost always a direct result of the society. Gothic architecture by the beginning of the 12th century, the romanesque form was gradually giving way to the gothic style.
Firstly a building such as a cathedral that has a style of. A gothic story, it has maintained certain classic gothic romantic elements, through shelleys frankenstein of 1818 and stokers infamous dracula of 1897, until today. Gothic literature is devoted primarily to stories of horror, the fantastic, and the darker supernatural forces. Now, you will read about the elements of gothic literature in southern america. There are lots of features that ive collated from other shared resources, but ive put them all together in one place. Gothic literature developed during the romantic period in britain. Department of literature and philosophy at georgia southern university. We hope this guide is particularly useful for teachers and students to explore the genre and read some great stories. Dec 25, 2018 elements of gothic literature of south are more political than american gothic literature. View gothic literature research papers on academia. Here are some extracts from gothic novels or short stories. Credited as the first gothic novel and considered one of the founding texts of the genre is horace walpoles the castle of. Characters are often passionate and strongwilled, defying others or even their own common sense in pursuit of their goals. The term doppelganger emerged around the same time as the gothic novel, appearing for the first time in johann paul friedrich richters siebenkas 1796.
Gothic literature themes and motifs of gothic literature often focused on the darker side of human nature. An introduction to gothic literature designed for a general year 7 class, making use of the reading materials provided and youtube clips of classic scenes from different adaptations. Though the first examples were fiction, poets also incorporated gothic elements, and the genre remained prevalent throughout the 19th century and into the 20th. Edgar allan poe has a unique and dark way of writing. This pdf file explains the aspects of gothic literature. The cambridge companion to gothic fiction edited by jerrold e. Have your pens ready to record the highlights of your. Women are often curious and have a tendency to swoon, while men storm and rage in reflection of unseen inner torments. Horace walpole, author of the first gothic novel, the castle of otranto 1764, is generally considered the father of gothic literature. The approach here is avowedly cultural and historical in emphasis as this helps us to observe the connections between texts and authors, and to.
Jun, 2017 gothic literature first appeared in the late 18th century, and became one of the first literary genres to inspire broad popular enthusiasm. Some of these characteristics are gargoyles, fog, characters having dreams, haunted houses, castles or estates, churches, and cemeteries. Oxford encyclopaedic dictionary gothic literature has its own distinctive style of narration, language, characters, settings and events. A precise introduction to gothic literature write a writing. Such texts are not so much working to adapt the gothic mode. The genre of gothic literature emerged as the darkest form of dark romanticism in its extreme expressions of selfdestruction and sin involving sheer terror, personal torment, graphic morbidity, madness, and the supernatural. Gothic fiction tends to place emphasis on both emotion and a. The cambridge companion to gothic fiction edited by. With lots of gloominess, strangeness, sense of evil and mystery.
Dark romanticism is characterized by expressions of terror, gruesome narratives, supernatural elements. Edgar allan poe wrote some of the finest macabre tales in this genre. Gothic as a form of fictionmaking has played a major role in western culture since the late eighteenth century. Gothic literaturegothic literature prepare to enter a bizarre, new, yet perhaps oddly familiar world. The novel 18321880 how did the writers of this period incorporate fantasy, realism, sensationalism, and social commentary into their work. This is a full half term of work including powerpoint presentation and work booklet. Although the occurrences of insanity and the supernatural may seem coincidental or unrelated, a closer examination of the culture surrounding such literature tells a different story. He is a past joint president of the international gothic association. Put simply, they are stories that scare the bejesus out of you. Gothic literature introduction gothic literature, a movement that focused on ruin, decay, death, terror, and chaos, and privileged irrationality and passion over rationality and reason, grew in response to the historical, sociological, psychological, and political contexts of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Nothing makes you feel more alive than getting a good scare by a horror story. English esl gothic literature worksheets most downloaded. Cemeteries are widely used in gothic literature as oftentimes frightening places where revenance can occur. Jan 11, 2016 in fact the terms represent two different schools of thought that early writers of gothic literature divided themselves along.
Poets of that time also incorporated gothic elements in their work. Beginning with mary shelleys 1818 publication of frankenstein and spanning the century, these novels captured an important sense of social unrest attributable to significant contemporary changes in intellectual and social thought, which. Analysis of gothic elements in the fall of the house of usher before you begin to format your paper, first write and save the content as a separate text file. How to critically read the gothic is the principal issue addressed in this volume, which examines a range of gothic texts and nontextual gothic forms from the eighteenth century to the present day.
The nobrow aesthetics of murder and madness, brings up a steady diet of. Gothic literature is a genre of novel that was popular in the late 18th and 19th century and is characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror, and with a pseudomedieval setting. And at the beginning, this division occurred loosely along gender lines, as matthew lewis and ann radcliffe were held up as the representatives of each camp. A cultural history 2010, gothic literature 2007, revised 20, victorian demons 2004, and gothic radicalism 2000. Gothic literature has a long history dating back to the 18th century.
Presentation created by paul reiff of the english department at vernon hills high school, district 128, illinois. Free download the handbook to gothic literature pdf, from anne rices bestselling novels to our recurrent interest in vampires and the occult, the gothic has an unyielding hold on our imagination. Southern gothic literature oxford research encyclopedia of. The gothic novel the gothic novel came to popularity at the end of the 18th century and it was also influenced by the concept of the sublime. Gothic literature of the nineteenth century was deeply concerned with threats to masculinity. Its origin is attributed to english author horace walpole, with his 1764 novel the castle of otranto, subtitled in its second edition a gothic story. Southern gothic is a mode or genre prevalent in literature from the early 19th century to this day. Gothic literature remained prominent and famous among the readers. From the origins of the gothic to depictions of the emerging middle classes, what are the key characteristics of late 18th and early 19thcentury literature. Andrew smith is reader in nineteenth century english literature at the university of shef. These forces often represent the dark side of human nature irrational or destructive desires. Gothic literature is a genre that shows the attitudes of the time, with the popularity of romanticism and walpoles novel. The first mention of gothic, as pertaining to literature, was in the subtitle of horace walpoles 1765 story the castle of otranto. To most modern readers, however, the castle of otranto is dull reading.
Gothic fiction has a long history, and remains popular to this day. A cemetery defines a place which is used for the burial of the dead. Characteristics of southern gothic include the presence of irrational, horrific, and transgressive thoughts, desires, and impulses. Oct 15, 2018 gothic literature is a deliciously terrifying blend of fiction and horror with a little romance thrown in. Jan 23, 2020 gothic literature developed during the romantic period in britain.
Out of curiosity about the secrets of nature, human behavior, and unexplained bumps in the night, from early times people have investigated the mystic and aberrant and shared their findings. In this volume, fourteen worldclass experts on the gothic provide thorough and revealing accounts of this hauntingtohorrifying type of fiction from the 1760s the decade of the castle of otranto, the first socalled gothic story to the end of the twentieth century an era. The gothic the british library the british library. The university of southern mississippi the aquila digital. Jun 16, 2015 what is gothic literature and what are the characteristics of gothic literature. Elements of gothic literature of south are more political than american gothic literature. Free download the handbook to gothic literature pdf free. It mentions characteristics to look for in writing that identify it as gothic. The artist concept of the artist as the ultimate outsider, often haunted by his own creation. One must remember that the gothic novel slowly came into being in the late 18th century and the gothic building were hundreds of years old. Weather location setting season time of day today we are going to focus on how gothic writers use the weather, in particular, to create specific atmospheres, emotion and moods within their writing, and what this use of weather could symbolise. Overview of gothic literature parkland school district.
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