She’s so Goth! It’s not just an emo style, it’s a literary tradition The words Goth and Gothic describe the Germanic tribes which sacked Rome and also ravaged the rest of Europe in the third, fourth, and fifth centuries. In eighteenth century England, Gothic was associated with the Middle Ages, a period which was in disfavor because it was perceived as chaotic, unenlightened, and superstitious.

What makes a story gothic? Scholars have debated this question for decades: 1. Some consider “the Gothic” a literary time period, spanning from the 1760s to 1820s. 2. Others view it as a set of thematic concerns 3. Still others understand it as a literary mode, in which contemporary authors like Stephen King continue to write.

The Gothic novel has more recently come into favor among literary scholars, who see in it a wealth of subversive literary features. -politics -race -gender -sexuality

What makes something gothic? 1.A castle 2.Ruined buildings 3. Dungeons, underground passages 4.Basements or attics 5.Labyrinths, dark corridors, and winding stairs 6.Shadows, beam of light in dark, flickering light, or sudden darkness 7.Extreme landscapes and extreme weather, 8.Omens and ancestral curses, magic, supernatural manifestations, or the suggestion of the supernatural 9. Passion-driven villain-hero or villain 10. a curious heroine with a tendency to faint and a need to be rescued 11. a hero whose true identity is revealed by the end of the novel 12. horrifying (or terrifying) events or the threat of such happenings.

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 (or as we will see today, the plantation) was something treasured and appreciated. Now, all that lasts is the decaying shell of a once thriving dwelling.

You might be thinking: is this an American horror story? SOUTHERN GOTHIC 1. appropriated by American 2. Uses features of the gothic to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the south. 3. According to wikipedia, southern gothic literature includes sinister events related to racism, poverty, alienation, crime and violence.

Read-aloud: Blood-Burning Moon by Jean Toomer ANNOTATE AS YOU GO: -Setting details -- Characterization: STEAL! -Signs of the Gothic? Is this a gothic story? Why or why not? -Homework: Annotate and write two paragraphs about why or why not this is a gothic story. PARAGRAPHS: Topic sentence, context, evidence, analysis, conclusion

Thematic Concerns Following are a few characteristics of gothic and southern gothic literature: The gothic novel tries to evoke chilling terror and gloom by exploiting mystery and horror. Gothic is about haunting and possession. We are supposed to feel a chill at some point in the story, and this emotional response is in part the point of the gothic experience. Paradoxically, this fear is a source of pleasure. "Tis so appalling--it exhilarates," Emily Dickinson says in a poem. In a Gothic work, there is usually confusion about good and evil. What does ‘good’ actually mean? What about ‘evil’? And how can we tell the difference? Gothic reveals a fear of institutions, such as religion, education, or marriage. Gothic shows the dark and hidden side of things. It rips open the lies and shows a world of cruelty, lust, perversion, and crime hidden beneath society’s rules and customs. Gothic tears through censorship and explodes hypocrisies. It exposes the world as a corrupt, reeking place. Gothic is a reaction to the conventional, common sense, and enlightened world. If society is supposed to be orderly and sensible, gothic shows how it really isn’t. Southern gothic tips stereotypes on their side and kicks them in the gut. Sweet Southern belles are crafty and greedy, chivalrous gentlemen are sneaky and perverse, and righteous preachers are manipulative and evil.

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