romantic and gothic literature

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Thao N guyen Ashley N guyen ROMANTIC AND GOTHIC LITERATURE

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Romantic and Gothic Literature. Thao N guyen Ashley N guyen. Romantic Literature. Romantic Literature. German group in 1790s were the first self-declared. Interest in ballads and medieval romances and inspiring philosophy of Kant and Fichte. Creative power of the mind - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Thao NguyenAshley Nguyen

ROMANTIC AND GOTHIC LITERATURE

Page 2: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Romantic Literature

Page 3: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

ROMANTIC LITERATURE• German group in 1790s were the

first self-declared.• Interest in ballads and medieval

romances and inspiring philosophy of Kant and Fichte.

• Creative power of the mind • Allowed nature to be seen as a

responsive mirror of the soul

Page 4: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

FEATURES• Explore the honest emotions of

personal experience• View of human nature valued

individual strong feeling over combined and formal behaviour

• Central to Romantic views of art was the creative imagination, nature growth and free development

Page 5: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Frankenstein• Walton, Frankenstein and creature are all

characterised by Romantic egotism in desiring to create the world according to their own dreams

• They remake the facts of their lives into stories which highlights the power of the individuals desire in their dreams and ambitions of control over their world

• Frankenstein escapes from home to the Alphine valley of Chamounix to seek ‘the magnificent, the eternity of such scenes, to forget myself’ (p.94) – appreciation of the power of his surroundings

Page 6: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

FRANKENSTEIN• The protagonist is so completely

engrossed in his own ego, so painfully self-conscious, that he must create a being to reassure himself of his own existence. – Alienates him from life and family.

• To accomplish the impossible by overstepping human boundaries has significant consequences – Nature seeks revenge on Victor.

Page 7: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Gothic Literature

Page 8: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

GOTHIC LITERATURE• Gothic Literature is believed to have originated from

Romantic Literature.• By the 18th Century Gothic literature came to its own

established literacy form.• Gothic literature is distinctive for its fascination in the

horrible, the repellent, the grotesque and the supernatural.

• Gothic novels tend to take place at night, in claustrophobic, sunless environments.

• The oral telling or horror stories have been a prime art form that initiated Gothic Literature.

Page 9: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Horace Walpole

• The first major Gothic novel was The Castle of Otranto.

• The novel was published in 1764

• The novel was inspired by a nightmare

Page 10: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Gothic Literature Motifs and Characteristics

• Haunted Castles• Climbing or falling from cliffs • Secret passages• Physical decay• Skulls and Skeletons• Ruined castles• Cemeteries and other images

relating to death• Ghosts• Revenge• Ancestral curses• The supernatural• Vampires

• Blood and gore• Torture and torment• Doppelganger• Demonic possession• Shape shifting• Black or dark magic• Madness• Incest• Solitary confinement• Damsel in distress• Dreams• Mystery• Violence

Page 11: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Gothic Architecture• Gothic architecture uses

pointed arches and vaults, flying buttresses, narrow spires, stained glass windows

• The upward movement was meant to suggest heavenward aspiration.

Page 12: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Frankenstein• The novel presents a lonely and frightening setting,

emphasizing the solitude and isolation of the Walton, Victor and the creature.

• The setting throughout the novel is based in dark, wretched and solitary places such as; Victor’s apartment and the hovel the creature stays at.

• The creature turns vengeful and evil.• Victor has a gruesome nightmare of the creature and his

Elizabeth turning into a corpse which looked like his dead mother.

Page 13: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Frankenstein Gothic Themes• Isolation and solitude

of Frankenstein, Walton and the creature, life after death, Victor’s chaotic ambition and the consequences of playing god (horrors of a dark humanity)

Page 14: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

Frankenstein• Nature is used regularly to create

atmosphere. • An example of this is the bleak, glacial fields

of the Alps and the mists of the Arctic serve to indicate the isolation of the Victor and his creature.

Page 15: Romantic  and  Gothic Literature

ROMANTIC AND GOTHIC LITERATUREThank you for listening :) Hope you enjoyed it!