Characteristics of Gothic Literature Subgenre of Romanticism 1800-1860

The Beginnings… Gothic Literary tradition came to be in part from the Gothic architecture of the Middle Ages. Gothic cathedrals with irregularly placed towers, and high stained-glass windows were intended to inspire awe and fear in religious worshipers. Gothic Literature

Gargoyles—carvings of small deformed creatures squatting at the corners and crevices of Gothic cathedrals—were supposed to ward off evil spirits, but they often look more like demonic spirits themselves. Think of the gargoyle as a mascot of Gothic, and you will get an idea of the kind of imaginative distortion of reality that Gothic represents.

Gothic Literature It was an offshoot of Romantic Literature. Gothic Literature was the predecessor of modern horror movies in both theme and style. Gothic Literature put a spin on the Romantic idea of nature worship and nature imagery. Along with nature having the power of healing, Gothic writers gave nature the power of destruction. Frankenstein is full of the harsh reality of nature. Many storms arise in the novel, including storms the night the Creature comes to life. The most common feature of Gothic Literature is the indication of mood through the weather.

Gothic vs. Romanticism Gothic writers were peering into the darkness at the supernatural. Romantic writers celebrated the beauties of nature. For some Romantic writers, the imagination led to the threshold of the unknown—the shadowy region where the fantastic, the demonic and the insane reside. When the Gothic's saw the individual, they saw the potential of evil. Romanticism developed as a reaction against the rationalism of the Age of Reason. The romantics freed the imagination from the hold of reason, so they could follow their imagination wherever it might lead. For some Romantics, when they looked at the individual, they saw hope (think “A Psalm of Life”).

Gothic Movement in America The Gothic Tradition was firmly established in Europe before American writers had made names for themselves. By the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathanial Hawthorne, and to a lesser extent Washington Irving and Herman Melville were using the Gothic elements in their writing. Edgar Allan Poe was the master of the Gothic form in the United States.

Characteristics Set in Medieval times Dark, mysterious, evil tone Dark castles, palaces, chambers, haunted mansions Isolated setting All come together to emphasize the sense of evil http://www.encounterspri.com/Articles.htm

More characteristics Presence of ghosts, spirits, vampires, and other supernatural entities Mysterious disappearances and reappearances Supernatural or paranormal occurrences http://www.penelopesweb.com/gargoyles.html

Characteristics -- cont’d. Religion, usually Christianity or at least spirituality, is confronted. A gothic “double” is used in which a character who seems to be good is linked with another who is evil www.pagedepot.com/.../ GOTHIC%20CHAPBOOKSX.HTM

More characteristics Blood, pain, death Cruelty Characters with “aberrant psychological states” Events are uncanny or melodramatically violent bordering between reality and unreality http://www.pantip.com/cafe/chalermthai/newmovie/hauntedcastle/hc.html

Purpose To evoke “terror” versus “horror” in the reader because of situations bordering reality/unreality Often used to teach a message May lack a Medieval setting but will develop an atmosphere of gloom and terror

Differentiating between the two Horror “An awful apprehension” Described distinctly Something grotesque So appalling, unrealistic Depends on physical characteristics Terror “A sickening realization” Suggestive of what will happen Depends on reader’s imagination Sense of uncertainty Creates an “intangible atmosphere of spiritual psychic dread”

Gothic Conventions Murder Death Suicide Ghosts Demons Gloomy settings Family secrets Dungeons Curses Torture Vampires Spirits Castles Tombs Terror

A few more gothic conventions Damsel in distress (frequently faints in horror) Secret corridors, passageways, or rooms Ancestral curses Ruined castles with graveyards nearby Priests and monks Sleep, dream, death-like states

Metonymy of gloom and terror Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand for something else (like sorrow). For example, the film industry likes to use metonymy as a quick shorthand, so we often notice that it is raining in funeral scenes.

Note the following metonymies that suggest mystery, danger, or the supernatural wind, especially howling sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds rain, especially blowing clanking chains doors grating on rusty hinges gusts of wind blowing out lights footsteps approaching doors suddenly slamming shut lights in abandoned rooms crazed laughter characters trapped in a room baying of distant dogs (or wolves?) ruins of buildings thunder and lightning

Importance of Setting The setting is greatly influential in Gothic novels. It not only evokes the atmosphere of horror and dread, but also portrays 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.

Basic Plot Structure for a Gothic Novel Action in the Gothic novel tends to take place at night, or at least in a claustrophobic, sunless environment. Ascent (up a mountain high staircase); Descent (into a dungeon, cave, underground chambers or labyrinth) or falling off a precipice; secret passage; hidden doors; Physical decay, skulls, cemeteries, and other images of death; ghosts; revenge; family curse; blood and gore; torture; the Doppelganger (evil twin or double), etc.

Gothic Writers Anne Rice Edgar Allan Poe Joyce Carol Oates Stephen King Stephenie Meyer

Gothic Movement in America The Gothic Tradition was firmly established in Europe before American writers had made names for themselves. By the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathanial Hawthorne, and to a lesser extent Washington Irving and Herman Melville were using the Gothic elements in their writing. Edgar Allan Poe was the master of the Gothic form in the United States.

Edgar Allan Poe His stories have: Settings that featuring Dark, medieval castles Decaying ancient estates Characters that are Male—insane Female—beautiful and dead (or dying) Plots that include Murder Live burials Physical and mental torture Retribution from beyond the grave For Poe, it was only in these extreme situations that people revealed their true nature.

The Gothic dimension of Poe’s fictional world offered him a way to explore the human mind in these extreme situations and so arrive at an essential truth

Nathanial Hawthorne He also used Gothic elements in his work to express what he felt were essential truths Instead of looking at the mind for its dysfunction, Hawthorne examined the human heart under conditions of fear, vanity, mistrust, and betrayal.

Southern Gothic After the real horrors of the Civil War, the Gothic tradition lost its popularity. During the 20th century, it made a comeback in the American South. Authors like William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Truman Capote, and Flannery O’Connor are grouped together because of the gloom and pessimism of their fiction.

Edgar Allan Poe During a life marked by pain and loss, Edgar Allan Poe wrote haunting tales in which he explored the dark side of the human mind. A well-read man with a taste for literature, Poe was cursed with a morbidly sensitive nature and made his feelings of sadness and depression the basis of a distinctive body of literary work. The following is a look at the life and work of a mysterious American master.

Poe’s Childhood Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, one of three children born to a couple who toured the East as actors. Before he was three years old, his father had abandoned the family, and his mother had died of tuberculosis. John and Francis Allan, took Poe to their home in Richmond, Virginia and became his foster parents. With the Allan’s he briefly lived in England, and continued his education in the United States. Marked by Loss

This period in Poe’s life was full of high’s and lows. Poe’s Writing This period in Poe’s life was full of high’s and lows. 1826, he started at the University of Virginia, where his reckless habits led to heavy debt, forcing him to leave school. He moved to Boston, where he published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems in 1827. In 1828, he was flat broke and enlisted into the army. John Allan got him an appointment at West Point, but he found the school confining and made sure he was expelled. A Restless Spirit

Poe’s Career After leaving West Point, he moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt Maria Clemm and her young daughter Virginia. There he began writing short stories. In 1834, he moved to Richmond to work for the Southern Literary Messenger. His reviews in the Messenger led to increased in the magazine’s circulation. In 1836, Poe married his cousin. Soon after, a disagreement led to him leaving the Messenger and moving again, this time to New York City. A Man of Letters

His years in Philadelphia would be Poe’s most productive. In 1839 he was the editor of Burton’s Gentlemen’s Magazine, to which he contributed both reviews and stories. His first collection of short stories was published, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. He was then fired from Burton’s in 1840. He attempted to begin his own literary magazine, but it failed. He accepted an offer as editor of Graham’s Magazine, where he published his groundbreaking story The Murders in the Rue Morgue” The was considered groundbreaking because it was the first detective story.

The real trouble begins Poe’s trouble vs. success Poe was awarded a $100 prize for his short story “The Gold Bug” published in 1845. This brought his the recognition and success that he had always wanted. With the success, he was hit with a major personal blow; Virginia, who had been battling illness since 1842, died. The real trouble begins

He moved back to Baltimore in 1849, where his health declined quickly. In the years following Virginia’s death, Poe struggled with despair as well as his own failing health. He moved back to Baltimore in 1849, where his health declined quickly. He collapsed on a Baltimore street where he was taken to a hospital. He died a few days later.

He wrote only one novel, around 50 poems, and 70 short stories. Poe’s Reputation Poe’s work generated strong responses. Critics either loved his work, or they hated it. Shortly after his death, a one-time friend published a biography on Poe. This work established the view of Poe as a gifted, but socially unaccepted writer. This tainted his reputation in America for many years. Eventually in the United States, his reputation was regained. Today, Poe is recognized as a master of poetry, a superb writer of short stories, and a profound explorer of the torments of the human soul. He wrote only one novel, around 50 poems, and 70 short stories.