The Dark Side of Individualism American Gothic The Dark Side of Individualism

Gothic Literature Characteristics: Grotesque characters Bizarre situations Violent events

“The door opened, and a figure glided in “The door opened, and a figure glided in. The portmanteau dropped from my arms, and my heart’s blood was chilled. If an apparition of the dead could not deny, this was such an apparition. A hue, yellowish and livid; bones, uncovered with flesh: eyes, ghastly, hollow, woe-begone, and fixed in an agony of wonder upon me; and locks, matted and negligent, constituted the image which I now beheld.”

“The death. . . Of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world-and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover.”

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

Gothic literature Begin in 1765 with The Castle of Otranto Most beloved characters include Frankenstein and Dracula Currently, most well-know author is Anne Rice

What inspired Gothic Literature Cathedrals and gargoyles Romantic movement in literature developed as a reaction to the age of reason let imagination wander to the dark side

Romantics vs. Gothic See hope in individuals Beauties of nature See potential evil in individuals Darkness of the supernatural

Master of Gothic- Edgar Allen Poe Elements of Gothic Poe uses: Dark, medieval castles or decaying estates Insane male narrators Dead or dying beautiful female characters Extreme plots (murder, live burial, physical and mental torture, retribution from beyond the grave) Poe believed that only in extreme situations would people show their true nature

Poe’s literary contributions Poetry should be musical, expressive of beauty and composed logically felt they were his greatest work Short Story First to insist that the story create a single effect Detective story Invented it

Hawthorne Hawthorne used gothic elements, like Poe, to express what he felt were important truths. Unlike Poe’s look at the mind, he looked at the human heart under condition of fear greed vanity mistrust betrayal

Gothic’s end and rebirth Popularity with Gothic literature ended with the Civil War. Realism begin (like Crane and Bierce) Reborn in the 20th century

Poe to Faulkner Crumbling medieval castle Ghostly figures Southern plantation Ghost of the past

Hawthorne to O’Connor Human heart and potential for evil Crumbling person Ghosts and goblins Human heart and potential for evil Crumbling morals Criminal, con men and fools

Where is Gothic today? Characteristics: Grotesque characters Bizarre situations Violent events Name it in: Anne Rice Stephen King