Gothic

Literature

Gothic is not

synonymous with Horror. Though Gothic fiction may have some horrific elements, there is a surprising lack of the kind of gore that is a trademark of Horror.

often relies in heavily on the disturbing power of

the unseen

as opposed to the seen, and it taps into the

primitive and deeply psychological to

genuinelydisturb the reader

instead of just going for the cheap thrill.

Gothic

literature

Gothic Fiction was a branch of the larger Romantic movement that sought to stimulate strong emotions in the reader, fear and apprehension as well.

The Gothic tradition had its origins in 1764 with the publication of Horace Walpole's  The Castle of Otranto.

The Castle of Otranto (1764) contained all of the elements that constitute the genre. It is usually regarded as the first Gothic novel.

Horace Walpole

by extension is arguably the forerunner to such authors as:

Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823)

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Bram Stocker (1847-1912)

Mary Shelley (1797- 1851)

Criteria for Gothic

Fiction

Narrative Devices

There are different resourses in order not to make your Gothic

story boring to the reader • Use accurate vocabulary to make it more vivid.

E.g: crackle, rumble, wail, howls,etc.

• Use a wide range of adjectives, not only the common ones. E.g: grim, gloomy, decrepit, creepy, spooky, etc.

• The use of commas is also important to change the dynamic of the story.

• describe things in a way that worry us• make us care about the characters• make a character sound foolishly unaware

of danger• make us expect terrible things to happen• use a variety of sentences to vary the

speed of the story

How to create Suspense or

Tensiongood writers should:

• include phrases and words that call reader’s attention

• characters must be developed as interesting ones

• include adjectives that make the reader visualize them better

• Use comas in its different usages, for providing a dramatic pause, adding extra information, or separating items on a list

How to create expectation

Setting & Atmosphere

The name of Gothic genre comes from medieval architecture, because it often harks to medieval era in spirit and subject matter and also uses Gothic buildings as settings

This style of fiction places heavy emphasis on atmosphere, using setting and diction to build suspense and a sense of unease in the reader.

It has several characteristics that distinguish it from other types of

writing....• medieval or medieval-type

setting

• gloomy and very strong architecture

• woman in distress needing to be rescued

• bad, nasty, evil, controlling, dominating, lustful villain who has the power, as king, lord of the manor, father, or guardian, to demand that one or more of the female characters do something intolerable.

• apparently supernatural events that are not infrequently explained later by science

• omens, portents, visions—often

the story is based on a prophecy

• evokes terror through the depiction of physical and, more often, psychological violence

• explores the nightmares under the surface of the “civilized” mind and/or aberrant psychological states.

•Unnaturally still and

quiet Unusual

•Dark and gloomy

•Wide,remoteand

desolated

• Spooky places

•Exotic locations

•Secret passages

•Cold

• Odd

Gothic Settings

They are animals which are common in such places as

Castles, Abandoned houses, Woods, Basements, etc.

Closer to the construction of Setting, it is the presence of certain animals in this type of

genre.

In the gothic genre, which is well known for being a branch of the romantic movement, nature is always

present, and so do animals. But not any animals can be found in gothic stories. They usually are:

• black cats• crows• bats• Frogs• Owls

...And they share certain characteristics; they are most commonly nocturnal, of bad omen and some are ugly.

ANIMALS IN GOTHIC LITERATURE

Crows

."Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'.... ( "The Raven")

“…Pluto - this was the cat's name – was a remarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and sagacious to an astonishing degree. In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise…”("The black cat")

 Black Cats

It was not until Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula that

vampires actually transformed themselves into bats. In the story, Dracula rules bats. He often assumes bat-like characteristics and his presence at night is often signified by a bat hovering outside a potential

victim’s window.

Bats

We achieve the Gothic Criteria

through the use of…

Descriptions

• Make an appropriated choice of words

• Catch readers' attention, produce impact

• Describe characters and places in detail Using adjectives to cause sense of fear , horror

• Try to make the readers worry and care about them

• Create suspense, intrigue...

Characters• DOLEFULL,

LOOKING SAD, DEPRESSING, AFLICTED, LAMENTABLE...

Symbolic significance of interactions between the natural and the supernatural

• Spooky,eerie, mysterious, strange, spectral...

Beginnings & Endings

There are many things to take into account:

• the writer should grab the reader’s attention by

- using rhetorical questions, and

- addressing the reader directly• the beginning should tells us what the rest of

the story would be about• the mood used in the opening should be

different from the mood of the ending• the clues given in the beginning must prepare

us for the ending

IF WE THINK ABOUT BEGINNINGS…

and every mentioned thing must be clarified at the end of the story.

ONCE WE DEALT WITH ALL THAT,the ending should be well

developed

High School Gothic Literature

The Gothic in Architecture, Art, and Literature

*Charles, A; Durant, R; Grant, D; Menon, E & Turner, B. (2008). "Building Skills in English" . United Kingdom: Heinemann

*Meyers Spacks, P. (2006). Novel Beginnings. Experiments in Eighteenth-Century Fiction. Chapter 7 Gothic Fiction. United Kingdom: Yale University Press New Haven & London

*Foster, N. (2012) "What characterizes Gothic Fiction?" http://www.wisegeek.com/what-characterizes-gothic-fiction.htm

*The Castle of Otranto. (2010). In Wikisource, The Free Library.

http//en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Castle_of_Otranto

*MacLeod, K. Incompetech. Royalty Free Music.

http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Horror&page=1

*You tube, Broadcast Yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YxXcDohJH4

*You tube, Broadcast Yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLsTrHtdKN4

Sources