1. AMERICAN GOTHIC LITERATURE
Edgar Allan Poe Author Study
AMERICAN GOTHIC LITERATURE 1

2. Gothic Literature
Gothic Literary tradition came to be in part from the Gothic architecture of the Middle Ages.
Gothic cathedrals with irregularly placed towers, and high stained-glass windows were intended to inspire awe and fear in religious worshipers.

3. Gargoyles—carvings of small deformed creatures squatting at the corners and crevices of Gothic cathedrals—were supposed to ward off evil spirits, but they often look more like demonic spirits themselves.
Think of the gargoyle as a mascot of Gothic, and you will get an idea of the kind of imaginative distortion of reality that Gothic represents. 3

4. Romantics vs. Gothics Romantics Gothics
Believed in letting the imagination run free
Grew out of the Romantics—also believed in imagination
They focused on the beauty and good in people
Their imaginations led them to think about the dark side of humanity
Life is beautiful and valuable (remember “Psalm of Life”)
Life is dangerous, and people have darkness and evil within

5. Elements of Gothic Literature
1. Setting
Action takes place in or around an old castle or building
Seems abandoned, or broken down
Has secret passages, doors, rooms
Usually very large, but seems claustrophobic 5

6. Elements of Gothic Literature
2. An atmosphere of mystery or suspense
Feeling of being threatened or fearful
Plot is built around a mystery (such as unknown parentage, a disappearance, or some other inexplicable event)
This is achieved by the next three elements…

7. Elements of Gothic Literature
3. An ancient prophecy
Usually connected with the castle or its inhabitants
Obscure, partial, or confusing
The characters struggle to understand

8. Elements of Gothic Literature
4. Omens, visions
Character may have a disturbing dream/vision
Some phenomenon may be seen as an omen of coming events
For example, if the statue of the lord of the manor falls over, it may predict his death

9. Elements of Gothic Literature
5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events
Dramatic or amazing events occur
Such as ghosts or giants, or inanimate objects (such as a suit of armor or painting) coming to life
In some works, the events are ultimately given a natural explanation, while in others the events are truly supernatural

10. Elements of Gothic Literature
6. High, overwrought emotion
Narration may be highly sentimental
Characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror.
Suffer from raw nerves and a feelings of impending doom
Crying and emotional speeches are frequent
Breathlessness and panic are common

11. Elements of Gothic Literature
7. Women in distress
Female characters often face events that leave them fainting, terrified, screaming, and/or sobbing
Lonely, pensive, and oppressed heroine is often the central figure of the novel
Her sufferings are even more pronounced and the focus of attention than the other characters in the story

12. Elements of Gothic Literature
8. Women threatened by a powerful, tyrannical male
One or more male characters has the power (king, lord of the manor, father, or guardian) to demand that one or more of the female characters do something intolerable
For example, the woman may be commanded to marry someone she does not love (it may even be the powerful male himself), or commit a crime

13. Elements of Gothic Literature
9. The metonymy of gloom and horror
Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand for something else (like sorrow).
For example, the film industry likes to use metonymy as a quick shorthand, so we often notice that it is raining in funeral scenes.

14. Elements of Gothic Literature
Wind, especially howling
Doors grating on rusty hinges
Footsteps approaching
Gusts of wind blowing out lights
Characters trapped in a room
Baying of dogs (or wolves)
Thunder and/or lightning
Rain
Sighs, moans, howls
Clanking chains
Lights in abandoned rooms
Gusts of wind blowing out lights
Doors suddenly slamming shut
Crazed laughter

15. Elements of Gothic Literature
10. Entrapment & Imprisonment
Being confined or trapped, as shackled to a floor or hidden away in a dark cell.
Heightens the psychology of feeling there’s “no way out.”
EX: the Saw series

16. Edgar Allan Poe’s Work Settings that feature Dark, medieval castles
Decaying ancient estates
Characters that are
Male—insane
Female—beautiful and dead (or dying)
Plots that include
Murder
Live burials
Physical and mental torture
Retribution from beyond the grave
For Poe, it was only in these extreme situations that people revealed their true nature.

17. Poe’s Biography Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809
He was abandoned by his father and orphaned by his mother before age 3
Poe’s aunt and uncle took him in

18. Poe’s Biography
1826, he started at the University of Virginia, where his reckless habits led to heavy debt, forcing him to leave school.
He moved to Boston, where he published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems in
In 1828, he was flat broke and enlisted into the army. Was expelled from West Point.

19. Poe’s Biography
Began writing short stories after moving to Baltimore to live with another aunt.
Soon married his aunt’s young (13!) daughter Virginia.
Bounced from Baltimore to New York City to Philadelphia—always seemed to run into trouble.

20. Poe’s Biography
Poe was awarded a $100 prize for his short story “The Gold Bug” published in ($2,500 in 2015 dollars.)
This brought his the recognition and success that he had always wanted.
Unfortunately, Virginia died around this time.

21. Poe’s Biography
In the years following Virginia’s death, Poe struggled with despair as well as his own failing health.
He moved back to Baltimore in 1849, where his health declined quickly.
Died in 1849.

22. Poe’s Biography
Today, Poe is recognized as a master of poetry, a superb writer of short stories, and a profound explorer of the torments of the human soul.
He wrote only one novel, around 50 poems, and 70 short stories.

23. UNITY OF EFFECT
Poe wanted his stories to achieve a unity of effect , where every element—plot, character, setting, and imagery—helped create a single effect, or mood.