1. American Gothic Fiction
A subgenre of Gothic Fiction
Elements include:
Rational vs. irrational
Puritanism
Guilt
Das Unheimliche/ The Uncanny (Freud)- straddling the line between/ uncanny as the class of frightening things that leads us back to what is known and familiar/ can arise when something seemingly inconsequential in our everyday lives calls forth repressed content stemming from past experience
Abhumans (werewolves & vampires- between human and monster)
Ghosts
Monsters
Domestic abjection- that which is rejected by/ disturbs social reason

2. in American Literature Laurie Miller
Southern Gothic
in American Literature
Laurie Miller

3. Background Sub-genre of the Gothic style Unique to American literature
relies on supernatural, ironic or unusual events to guide the plot
uses these to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South
Plantations
Slavery
Belles
Soldiers

4. Background
Takes classic Gothic archetypes, such as the monster or the heroic knight, and turns them into American Southerners
a spiteful, reclusive spinster; an uneducated drunk
a quiet, wise lawyer
Most notable feature is the “grotesque”
a character whose negative qualities allow the author to highlight unpleasant aspects in Southern culture.
Something in the town, the house, the farm is bizarre and often falling apart

5. Defining Feature Cast of off-kilter characters
Broken bodies, minds or souls
Used to symbolize problems created by the established pattern
Used to question established pattern’s morality and ethical justification
The “Innocent” is a common character, who may or may not be “broken,” but who often acts as a redeemer for others

6. Other Specific Features of Southern Gothic
Freakishness
Outsider
Imprisonment
Violence
Sense of Place

7. Freakishness
In most southern gothic stories, there is an important character who is set apart from the world by in a negative way by a disability or an odd, and often negative way of seeing the world.

8. Outsider
Southern novels are filled with characters who are set a part from the established cultural pattern, but who end up being heroes because their difference allows them to see new ways of doing things that ultimately help to bring people out of the “dark.”

9. Imprisonment This is often both literal and figurative.
Many southern gothic tales include an incident where a character is sent to jail or locked up.
There are also Southern gothic characters that live in fate's prison.

10. Violence
Racial, social and class difference often create underlying tension in Southern gothic novels that threatens, and usually does, erupt in violent ways

11. Sense of Place
You can’t read a Southern Gothic novel without understanding what a Southern town “feels” like:
old small towns
Houses have front porches with rocking chairs
Old downtown with stately but worn-down buildings

12. Puritanism and American Gothic

13. The Puritan Mindset
Total Depravity- through Adam and Eve’s fall, every person is born sinful = concept of Original Sin
Unconditional Election- God “saves” only those he wishes= PREDESTINATION
Limited Atonement- Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone
Irresistible Grace- God’s grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God
Perseverance of the “saints”- those elected by God have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. If anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in his life, he will be going against the will of God- something impossible in Puritanism

14. Signs of Salvation- NO FREE WILL
Receive clues by doing “good works”= going to church, praying, doing charity
Leading a “good” life might be an indication that you were one of the “chosen”
Lazy and immoral= going to hell

15. So, what’s this have to do with Gothic?
The New England Puritans were intolerant and their theology bred paranoia, if not madness

16. Traits of Puritan Gothic
Reflects the sense of helplessness the Puritans felt in changing their fates
Passion and obsession for trying to discover if you are one of the “chosen”=
Fits
Paranoia
Dissatisfaction
Hallucinations
physical defects
Illness
self-delusion

17. Writer’s Notebook Activity
For each story we read (5 total), you will complete the following:
Title and author at the top of the page
Write a short plot summary of the story
List American Gothic Traits found- give a quote and explanation for EACH
Main character- describe the physiological, sociological, and psychological aspects/ use one quote for each (3 total)
Literary Devices- find three devices and a quote for each
Theme- state the theme in a sentence/ support with a quote