Gothic Literature Unit Notes

Gothic style is characterized by the following elements: The story is set in bleak or remote places. In classic gothic stories, this is often a ruined castle or mansion. Characters are in a state of psychological or physical torment. A supernatural or otherworldly element is often present. Many times this is a monster of some kind. In more modern gothic tales, the monster is a person with a monstrous characteristic.

Nathaniel Hawthorne Was not best known as a gothic writer, but his short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil” definitely qualifies as gothic. Hawthorne spent most of his career fighting against the Transcendentalist movement that gained popularity in America during the early 1800’s.

Nathaniel Hawthorne Hawthorne was descended from a prominent Puritan family in Salem, MA. One of Hawthorne's ancestors was a judge that played a key role in the witch trials. Hawthorne inherited much guilt from this, and it led him to believe that evil was the dominant force in the world. A common theme in his work was the exploration of darkness in the human heart.

Works Hawthorne’s works included the famous titles, The House of Seven Gables and The Scarlet Letter. His story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” is an example of an allegory.

Allegory and Parable A parable is a simple, usually brief, story that teaches a moral lesson. Unlike a fable, which has animal characters, a parable features humans. A parable is a type of allegory, or a story with both literal and symbolic meaning.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” Hawthorne subtitles it “a parable” because he wants to stress the importance of the moral message of the story. The veil that Mr. Hooper vows never to remove is a symbol—something that has meaning in itself while also standing for something greater. To discover the veil’s symbolic meaning, notice Hawthorne's descriptions of the veil and its effects on the characters in the story.

Edgar Allen Poe One of the most beloved early American gothic writers. We will view the A&E Biography of Poe’s life—pay attention; the video moves quickly through the study guide questions. Poe argued that a literary work should achieve a unique or single effect. He believed that every character, incident and detail should contribute to this effect.

Edgar Allen Poe A common motif in Poe’s work is the death of a beautiful woman. Poe’s protagonists were always male, and they almost always struggled with some sort of mental torture or insanity. Poe’s settings were within the realm of classic gothic stories; they were almost always in the ruins of a castle, mansion or abbey.

POEtry Look for examples of: Repetition, or repeated words or phrases (they are repeated for a reason!) Alliteration, or a repeated initial consonant sound Rhyme, both internal and external Assonance, or a repeated vowel sound among dissimilar consonant sounds (eg. Given distance)