GOTHIC LITERATURE

the birth of the horror story

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

The term “gothic” originally meant anything medieval

The term came to be applied to a form of architecture:

-rustic irregularity

-quirky battlements

-overgrown landscaping

-lacking balance & symmetry

History of Gothic

LiteratureTraditional gothic novels were

written from 1764 to 1834 (the Romantic Period)

Focused on elements that could not always be explained by science

Horace Walpole, who lived in a creepy castle, wrote the first gothic novel: The Castle of Otranto

So What is Gothic Literature?

Literature that is characterized by gloomy settings and an atmosphere of terror and mystery.

Combining GenresGothic literature contains

and combines elements from other literary genres. These include…

Science fictionMystery/detectiveFantasy

Settings of Gothic

LiteratureGraveyardsDark ForestsNightCastle RuinsTorture ChambersMonasteriesTombs

Elements of Gothic

LiteratureGhosts & other

supernatural influences

Atmosphere of terror & mystery

DarknessClanging chains &

unexplained noisesSubtle drops of

bloodStrange creatures

GOTHIC LITERATURE IS

NOT:All about murder, gore & deathPeople hiding & surprise

attacksBodily mutilationBuckets of bloodStrictly a murder

mystery/detective story

GOTHIC SURVIVES

Once applied to a style of architecture, it is now used to describe fashion.

Popular Goth Gothic themes are still popular in literature and movies by Ann Rice and Stephanie Meyer.

FRANKENSTEIN

One of the best known gothic novels is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley 1797-1851Parents were

writers.Mother was a

well-known feminist.

Mother died days after giving birth to Mary.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Mistreated by stepmotherRan away with poet

Percy Bysshe Shelley at age 16

Percy was married with a daughter and his wife was pregnant with their second child

Mary gave birth to a daughter a year later who died eleven days later.

Mary had a “dream that my little baby came to life again—that it had only been cold and that we rubbed it before the fire and it lived.”

Death, death & more death

Percy’s wife committed suicide by drowning.

Mary had a baby boy who died of malaria at age three.

She had a second daughter who, like the first, died shortly after birth.

She had buried three children by the age of 22.

Ghost Stories During the summer of 1816, Mary and Percy were visiting poet Lord Byron in Switzerland.

During a stormy night, Byron suggested a ghost story competition.

Mary went to bed thinking about the competition.

FrankensteinThat night Mary

dreamed of a “hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion.”

Monsternamed Adam Dr. Frankenstein

Continued popularity

More than 50 movies have been made about Frankenstein

The first was created by Thomas Edison & was 14 minutes long

Get ready for Mary Shelley’s