Romanticism and the Gothic Genre

“There is a persistent suspicion that Gothicism is a poor and probably illegitimate relation of Romanticism.” Robert Hume (1969)

Like Gothic architecture, Gothic literature focuses on humanity’s fascination with the grotesque, the unknown, and the frightening, inexplicable aspects of the universe and the human soul. The Gothic "relates the individual to the infinite universe" (Varma 16) and creates horror by portraying human individuals in confrontation with the overwhelming, mysterious, terrifying forces found in the cosmos and within themselves. Gothic literature pictures the human condition as an ambiguous mixture of good and evil powers that cannot be understood completely by human reason. Thus, the Gothic perspective conceives of the human condition as a paradox, a dilemma of duality—humans are divided in the conflict between opposing forces in the world and in themselves. The Gothic themes of human nature’s depravity, the struggle between good and evil in the human soul, and the existence of unexplainable elements in humanity and the cosmos, are prominent themes in Frankenstein.

Romanticism Definition: A movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that marked the reaction in literature, philosophy, art, religion, and politics to the formalism of the preceding (Neoclassic) period. The Neoclassic period valued reason, formal rules, and demanded order in beauty. It is the biggest artistic movement of the first half of the 19th century

About celebrating the individual being at one with nature The wanderer / poet figure standing on top of nature But there is something slightly elitist about this Celebration of natural, internal self, of an idea of natural human nature and identity.

Wordsworth –Preface to The Lyrical Ballads (1800) From such verses the Poems in these volumes will be found distinguished at least by one mark of difference, that each of them has a worthy purpose. Not that I always began to write with a distinct purpose formerly conceived; but habits of meditation have, I trust, so prompted and regulated my feelings, that my descriptions of such objects as strongly excite those feelings, will be found to carry along with them a purpose. If this opinion be erroneous, I can have little right to the name of a Poet. For all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: and though this be true, Poems to which any value can be attached were never produced on any variety of subjects but by a man who, being possessed of more than usual organic sensibility, had also thought long and deeply.

Romanticism Victor Hugo called Romanticism “liberalism in literature.” It freed the artist and writer from restraints and rules. Walter Pater thought the addition of strangeness to beauty defined the Romantic movement. A current definition: a psychological desire to escape from unpleasant realities. Pouring out of emotions/ desires /feelings in a repressed world which largely doesn’t promote this

The predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules Romanticism Characteristics: The predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules Primitivism Love of nature An interest in the past Mysticism Individualism Idealization of rural life Enthusiasm for the wild, irregular, or grotesque in nature Enthusiasm for the uncivilized or “natural”

More Characteristics: Romanticism More Characteristics: Interest in human rights Sentimentality Melancholy Interest in the gothic

Many central figures of the Romantic movement (Coleridge, Mary and Percy Shelley, Byron and Keats) were avid readers of Gothic literature. But the Gothic was a controversial genre and associated with a “low” form of culture, whereas the Romantic movement was associated with aesthetic and literary aspirations.

Letter from Coleridge to fellow poet Robert Southey (about Friedrich Schiller’s “The Robbers”)

Who was the audience of Gothic fiction? Perceived to be read overwhelmingly by women A worry that young women might take Gothic romance to bed with them and become hysterical under their inluence Developments of print technology in the 18th century meant that a wider range of texts were available to a much wider readership Gothic fiction potentially radical as could be read by a wider social dynamic

Gothic writers heavily influenced each other so often feel plagiaristic and formulaic

Sensibility “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 1798, Preface to the Lyrical Ballads)

Which element of the Gothic is evident in this passage Which element of the Gothic is evident in this passage? Highlight key phrases that demonstrate this theme. A group of wild and grotesque rocks rose in a semicircular form, and their fantastic shapes exhibited Nature in her most sublime and striking attitudes. Here her vast magnificence elevated the mind of the beholder to enthusiasm. Fancy caught the thrilling sensation, and at her touch the towering steeps became shaded with unreal glooms; the caves more darkly frowned—the projecting cliffs assumed a more terrific aspect, and the wild overhanging shrubs waved to the gale in deeper murmurs. The scene inspired madame with reverential awe, and her thoughts involuntarily rose, 'from Nature up to Nature's God.‘ Ann Radcliffe- A Sicilian Romance

The Sublime “…came to be associated with a power that was natural, or divine, and that enabled the human mind to reach its full, transcendental potential.” (York Notes:The Gothic” Edmund Burke in 1757 asserted that the sublime is always ‘some modification of power’; this is a power that originates in nature, or in God, and it has the capacity to inspire terror. This had an influence on late 18th century fiction, especially Ann Radcliffe who sought to recreate the landscapes seen in contemporary painting within her writing. The power of the sublime in her fiction was often related to the inner workings of the protagonists consciousness – this is similar to the psychological function of the sublime on Romantic writing. Romantic poetry focuses on the effect that the landscape has on the poet’s imagination

Compare the Gothic text with the Romantic poem A group of wild and grotesque rocks rose in a semicircular form, and their fantastic shapes exhibited Nature in her most sublime and striking attitudes. Here her vast magnificence elevated the mind of the beholder to enthusiasm. Fancy caught the thrilling sensation, and at her touch the towering steeps became shaded with unreal glooms; the caves more darkly frowned—the projecting cliffs assumed a more terrific aspect, and the wild overhanging shrubs waved to the gale in deeper murmurs. The scene inspired madame with reverential awe, and her thoughts involuntarily rose, 'from Nature up to Nature's God.‘ Ann Radcliffe- A Sicilian Romance 1790 And I have felt A presence that disturbs me with the joy Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime Of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean and the living air, And the blue sky, and in the mind of man; A motion and a spirit, that impels All thinking things, all objects of all thought, And rolls through all things. Wordsworth – Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey !798

Gothic fiction and Romantic poetry both reveal “a sublime power that appears to facilitate a union of the mind with nature and the divine.” Gothic Fiction- Sue Chaplin

“Gothic terror and the unstable emotional affectivity associated with it, was deemed likely to corrupt the minds of the nation’s young readers, especially female readers. Romanticism, on the other hand, developed in opposition to this Gothic aesthetic a Romantic sublimity that privileged a rarefied , transcendental imagination capable of mediating between the individual and the divine: imagination in itself becomes almost in itself a sublime power.” Gothic Fiction – Sue Chaplin

Gothic Romantic Fancy The power of the imagination sensationalism Higher intellectual aspirations Fiction Poetry “low” popular culture Elevated cultural status Was perceived to be read by women A writing of excess formulaic

Romanticism as an evolution of the Gothic Trend towards imagination and emotion growing In Gothic this tends to come from horrific and terrifying imaginings Romanticism takes this to higher ideals e.g. grander and deeper meanings of life Romantic emphasis on feeling is not cultivation of one quality or power at the expense of others but the pursuit of an ideal of unity or completeness of being . Before, Gothic literature tended to strive for the genteel aim of provoking no more than a pleasurable shudder (Norton). Now, Romantic literature wanted to interpret what those feelings were, where they came from, and what one should experience from these feelings. While readers liked putting themselves into that suspenseful and terror-laden frame of mind that Gothic literature provided, Romantic literature now broadened their minds to thinking about deep subject matters.

Implications for LitB3 Consider both the Gothic and Romantic elements of Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights. Can the two be separated? What do the writers explore by combining the two What is the writer’s purpose in including Gothic features?

Supernatural/Gothic Literary Motifs A motif is a repeated theme, image, or literary device. Look for these common supernatural/Gothic motifs in Frankenstein.

The Double or Doppelganger (German for "double-goer"): Defined by Federick S. Frank as "a second self or alternate identity, sometimes, but not always, a physical twin. The Doppelganger in demonic form can be a reciprocal or lower bestial self or a Mr. Hyde. Gothic doppelgangers often haunt and threaten the rational psyche of the victim to whom they become attached" (435).

The double motif involves a comparison or contrast between two characters or sets of characters within a work to represent opposing forces in human nature. For example, Dr. Jekyll and his evil double Mr. Hyde are contrasted to represent the battle between the rational, intellectual self (Jekyll) and the irrational, bestial self (Hyde). The double motif suggests that humans are burdened with a dual nature, a soul forever divided. Double characters are often paired in common relationships, such as twins, siblings, husband/wife, parent/child, hero/villain, creator/creature, etc.

Forbidden Knowledge or Power/ Faust Motif:

Forbidden Knowledge or Power/ Faust Motif: Forbidden knowledge/power is often the Gothic protagonist’s goal. The Gothic "hero" questions the universe’s ambiguous nature and tries to comprehend and control those supernatural powers that mortals cannot understand. He tries to overcome human limitations and make himself into a "god." This ambition usually leads to the hero’s "fall" or destruction; however, Gothic tales of ambition sometimes paradoxically evoke our admiration because they picture individuals with the courage to defy fate and cosmic forces in an attempt to transcend the mundane to the eternal and sublime.

Monster/Satanic Hero/Fallen Man: The courageous search for forbidden knowledge or power always leads the hero to a fall, a corruption, or destruc- tion, such as Satan’s or Adam’s fall. Consequently, the hero in Gothic literature is often a "villain." The hero is isolated from others by his fall and either becomes a monster or confronts a monster who is his double. He becomes a "Satanic hero" if, like Satan, he has courageously defied the rules of God’s universe and has tried to transform himself into a god. Note: the mad scientist, who tries to transcend human limitations through science, is a type of Satanic hero that is popular in Gothic literature (examples include Dr. Jekyll and Frankenstein).

Multiple Narrative/Spiral Narrative Method: The story is frequently told through a series of secret manuscripts or multiple tales, each revealing a deeper secret, so the narrative gradually spirals inward toward the hidden truth. The narrator is often a first-person narrator compelled to tell the story to a fascinated or captive listener (representing the captivating power of forbidden knowledge). By revealing to us their own souls’ secrets, these narrators reveal the secrets of humankind’s soul.

Dreams/Visions: Terrible truths are often revealed to characters through dreams or visions. The hidden knowledge of the universe and of human nature emerges through dreams because, when the person sleeps, reason sleeps, and the supernatural, unreasonable world can break through. Dreams in Gothic literature express the dark, unconscious depths of the psyche that are repressed by reason— truths that are too terrible to be comprehended by the conscious mind.

Signs/Omens: Reveal the intervention of cosmic forces and often represent psychological or spiritual conflict (e.g., flashes of lightning and violent storms might parallel some turmoil within a character’s mind).