1. Gothic Literature

2. The predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules
Romanticism
The predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules
Primitivism
Belief that primitive cultures are superior to modern cultures
Love of nature
An interest in the past
Mysticism
Belief in a reality passing normal human understanding
Individualism
Idealization of rural life
Enthusiasm for the wild, irregular, or grotesque in nature

3. Enthusiasm for the uncivilized or “natural” Interest in human rights
Romanticism
Enthusiasm for the uncivilized or “natural”
Interest in human rights
Sentimentality
Melancholy
Interest in the gothic

4. Gothic vs. Romanticism
Romanticism developed as a reaction against the rationalism of the Age of Reason (17th and 18 centuries).
The romantics freed the imagination from the hold of reason, so they could follow their imagination wherever it might lead.
For some Romantics, when they looked at the individual, they saw hope.
Romantic writers celebrated the beauties of nature.
For some Romantic writers, the imagination led to the threshold of the unknown—the shadowy region where the fantastic, the demonic and the insane reside.
When the Gothic's saw the individual, they saw the potential of evil.
Gothic writers were peering into the darkness at the supernatural.

5. Gothic Literature Began in the mid to late 18th century in Britain
devoted primarily to stories of horror, the fantastic, and the "darker" supernatural forces.
The short stories we will read during this unit all belong to the American gothic genre. Of which Frankenstein is NOT but it is the most famous example.
The most famous AMERICAN Gothic writer is Edgar Alan Poe

6. named for Gothic medieval cathedrals which often feature savage or grotesque ornaments
the cathedrals are covered with a profusion of wild carvings depicting humanity in conflict with supernatural forces—demons, angels, gargoyles, and monsters.
“Gothic" derives from "Goth," the name of one of the barbaric Germanic tribes that invaded the Roman Empire

7. Gothic architecture evokes the sense of humanity’s division between a finite, physical identity and the often terrifying and bizarre forces of the infinite. The Gothic aesthetic suggests an ambition to transcend earthly human limitations and reach the divine.

9. Mid 19th century Edgar Allan Poe Nathaniel Hawthorne Washington Irving
American Gothic
Mid 19th century
Edgar Allan Poe
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Washington Irving

10. Supernatural/Gothic Literary Motifs
A motif is a repeated theme, image, or literary device. Look for these common motifs as we read the pieces in this unit.

11. American Gothic Motifs
Motif-recurring theme, image, symbol, or other literary device
Common gothic motifs:
Irrational vs. the rational
Guilt
Signs/Omens
And many more, but these are the ones we’ll be looking at this six weeks.

12. 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).

13. Rational vs. Irrational
The main character is often torn between a rational, scientific world, and a supernatural world that cannot be explained. The character may become consumed and driven insane by attempting to explain this irrational world.

14. Guilt
Often, a main character’s guilt, real or self-created, overwhelms the character causing death or insanity.