The Gothic

Entry task: present to past tense

1. The vampire approaches the girl.2. He grins, devilishly.3. The girl hesitates. Her breath quickens.4. The candlelight flickers in the gloomy hall.5. The blood runs.

How do we make the past tense?Are there any exceptions to this rule?

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Where might you have heard the term ‘Gothic’ before?

What is it usually referring to?

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Going a little deeper…Write a sentence explaining how the word ‘gothic’ has been used in each of the different ways throughout history.

1. In AD 300, ‘goth’ meant...2. In the middle ages, ‘gothic’ meant...3. In the 18 and 1900s, ‘gothic’ meant...4. From the 1970s, ‘gothic’ referred to...

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Have a look back at the sentences you wrote at the start of the lesson.

What features are there in these sentences that make them ‘gothic’?

Write a list of key features of ‘the gothic’. Use bullet points!

You could find a picture online to illustrate your gothic list with a creepy/mysterious setting…

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AR reading for 20 minutes (you don’t have to read by candlelight, although it would be more gothic if you did...).

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Entry task: present to future tense

1. The man drinks the potion.2. He feels a churning agony in his body.3. He realises he is a new person.4. He feels brave and strong...and evil.5. He sets off into the dark streets.

How do we make the future tense?Are there different kinds of future tense?

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Read the extract from the graphic novel ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ that you’ve been sent.

1. What key features of gothic fiction can you pick out in this extract?

2. What do you think WILL HAPPEN next? Write a paragraph with your prediction. Use the future tense!

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Entry task: fronted adverbials

Fronted adverbials are phrases which are added to the start of a sentence to describe the action that follows.

Use the phrases on the next page to create some gothic sentences...

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Read these 3 boring sentences and add an adverbial phrase to the front to make it more gothic!

1. She fell to the ground.2. He was behind her.3. The storm began.

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As quick as a flash UnexpectedlyWithout a sound In the blink of an eye Without warning Unfortunately

‘Frankenstein’ is one of the most famous gothic novels of all time.

It was written by Mary Shelley, in 1818.

See if you can find out three surprising things about Mary Shelley from this website: https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Mary_ShelleyWrite them in your google doc. Use bullet points.

The Gothic (3): Frankenstein

Now read the extract from ‘Frankenstein’ that you’ve been sent, and answer these questions in your google doc.

1. What time of year is it?2. a) What’s the weather like?

b) Why does Shelley bother to mention the month and the weather?

3. What colours are mentioned (and repeated)? 4. What does Frankenstein dream about?5. How does his dream affect him physically? (3 ways)

The Gothic (3): Frankenstein

How does Shelley make this extract horrifying?

● Pathetic fallacy● Sensory language

Find one more example of each of these techniques in the text. Copy it into your google doc.

The Gothic (3): Frankenstein

AR reading for 20 minutes (you don’t have to wear a black cloak, although it would be more gothic if you did...).

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Entry task: simple or compound sentence?

1. The monster stared through the window.

2. I slept but I was disturbed by terrifying dreams.

3. The rain pattered on the window and my candle had burned out.

4. I had worked hard for two years.

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‘Frankenstein’: a recap

Mary Shelley uses clever techniques to make the story as horrifying as possible.

Can you remember the two techniques we learned last lesson?

Write the opening for a gothic story of you own. Make sure you use pathetic fallacy and sensory language.

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Entry task: complex sentences

A complex sentence is different from a compound sentence, because the different parts of the sentence do no make sense on their own.

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Entry task: complex sentences

“Unable to bear the appearance of the creature I had created, I rushed out of the room.”

Turn these simple sentences into more interesting, complex sentences (you could add a clause to the start or the end of the sentence).

1. He was horrifying.2. I was scared.3. The rain fell.

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Read the extract from Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ that you’ve been sent.

It was written in 1897 and is an EPISTOLARY NOVEL. This means it’s written as a series of diary entries and letters. The extract you’ve got is a letter from Jonathan Harker to his fiance, Mina.

The Gothic (5)‘Dracula’

Bram Stoker is very good at building the tension in this extract. We’re going to look at how he does it.

1. Find 3 things in the extract that HINT that the Count is a strange character.

2. Find an example of juxtaposition and write it down.

3. Find the metaphor at the end of the extract. Copy it out.

The Gothic (5)‘Dracula’

AR reading for 20 minutes (you don’t have to be sitting in a creepy old library, although …)

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Entry task: auxiliary verbs

An auxiliary verb is just a ‘helping’ verb. Sometimes an action is made up of more than one word.

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There have been MANY film and TV adaptations of ‘Dracula’ over the years.

Design a poster for a new film, using as many of the gothic details from the extract as you can.

Make sure you use juxtaposition of light/dark, and try to incorporate the metaphor of the castle as a prison...

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