1. The History of Gothic Literature
Gothic Architecture
Gothic architecture emerged in the late medieval period -12th-16th Century. The main characteristics of Gothic architecture are stone structures, large expanses of glass, clustered columns, sharply pointed spires, intricate sculptures and pointed arches.
In a quest for creating atmosphere, gothic novels are often set in large, imposing gothic buildings.
Ruined gothic buildings can symbolise many human emotions .
The History of Gothic Literature
The Goths were an Eastern European tribe who repeatedly attacked the Roman Empire in the 3rd Century.
As a genre, gothic fiction is generally believed to have been invented by the English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto. Horace Walpole first applied the word ‘Gothic’ to his novel to mean something like ‘barbarous’, as well as ‘deriving from the Middle Ages’.
The gothic novel arose at a time of great discovery and exploration in the fields of science, religion, and industry; people both revered and questioned the existence of God or a higher power. Gothic novels allowed writers and readers to explore these ideas of the unknown through the medium of storytelling.
Modern Gothic
Famous characters from Gothic literature – Frankenstein, Dracula and Jekyll & Hyde.
Famous British literature featuring the gothic – A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens), Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)
Iconic horror films following the gothic tradition: Sleepy Hollow, The Haunting, The Shining, The Phantom of the Opera
Gothic rock subculture developed in the 1980s (after punks) – the appeal for ‘goths’ of dark, mysterious, morbid dress, mood, imagery and music links closely with the traditions of gothic literature.
Common gothic features
The supernatural
Pathetic fallacy
Mystery and obscurity
Terror and horror
Extreme characters (villains, victims, fallen angels
Damsels in distress
An underlying love story
Grand, old, ruined buildings
Entrapment
Scientific discovery
CHAPTER
Frankenstein Plot
Letters
Walton tells sister about new discoveries and natural science and meets VF
Chp 1-2
F’s background and love of science
Chp3-5
F to university; his mother dies; F discovers secret of life and makes monster
Chp 6-8
F rejects monster; William dies; Justine executed
Chp 9-10
Chp 11-12
Monster’s story; DeLacey family, learning to read/speak
Chp13-14
Monster learns humans judge by appearance, angry and seeks revenge
Chp 15-17
Monster finishes story; asks for female, F agrees to create
Chp 18-20
F creates female monster and destroys, Monster curses
Chp 21-24
Clerval murdered, Elizabeth murdered, F looks for monster, dies
Frankenstein Characters
Frankenstein
Eponymous protagonist; scientist; overreacher?
Monster
‘To be feared or pitied?
Elizabeth
Idealised sister/wife; incest?
Clerval
Friend of F
Walton
Tells the story; doubles F in many ways
DeLacey family
Reveal judgemental nature of humans
Justine
Showcases F’s inner turmoil/moral dilemma
William
Represents innocent victim
Key Gothic Terminology
Gothic
supernatural
pathetic fallacy
personification
obscurity
horror/terror
isolation
obsession
tension
transgression
intrigue
opposition
atmosphere
The Monkey’s Paw tells the story of a family that receives the mummified paw of a monkey from a guest, who tells them that whoever possesses the monkey's paw gets three wishes. However, when they try to use the wishes, there are horrible consequences.
The Masque of the Red Death tells the story of Prince Prospero and is set in his castle. Prospero and 1,000 other nobles have taken refuge in this walled abbey to escape the Red Death, a terrible plague with gruesome symptoms that has swept over the land.