Goth literature
Résumé : Goth literature. Recherche parmi 300 000+ dissertationsPar kévin Ramroop • 28 Janvier 2021 • Résumé • 757 Mots (4 Pages) • 444 Vues
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A little bit of research
- Where does the word “Gothic” originally come from?
Comes from the gothic tribes (Ostrogoths and Visigoths). Considered as barbarians. They put an end to the Roman Empire in a violent way.
Walpole used the adjective in a sort of ironic way to define his first English gothic novel.
- What was the word associated with in the Middle Ages?
It was a style of architecture > the Gothic cathedrals have pointed arches, thin and tall walls, large windows, as opposed to the Roman style that looks more simple, less intricate.
- When was the literary genre born? Quote its most famous authors and a few emblematic novels.
18th century: Horace Walpole – The Castle of Otranto (1764)
Then, to name but a few:
Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (1818)
Emily Brontë – Wuthering Heights (1847)
Bram Stocker – Dracula (1897)
Shakespeare – Macbeth (1623) > a play
Robert Louis Stevenson – The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)
Christopher Marlowe – Doctor Faustus (1592)
Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823)
- Is there any such thing as Gothic fiction today? Compare horror and gothic with the help of English author Neil Gaiman (> audio track).
- List some typical ingredients of Gothic literature:
nouns / phrases | |
setting: - where? - when? | castles (crumpling, imposing abodes) > ideal backdrop to express unease and fear candlelit corridors low lighting light/shadows moonlight haunted by ghosts dungeon crypt labyrinth winding stairs confusing corridors secret passageways hidden trap doors wild nature remote landscape rugged mountains the moors icebergs forests faraway lands (ex: Transylvania, Antarctic wastes) blasted heath > to highlight nature's strength and savagery rain thunder storm blizzard wind > often to highlight the emotional intensity of a character (metonymy) |
characters | doomed lovers ghosts spirits phantoms witches goblins poltergeists doubles a hero-villain (tyrannical, impulsive, powerful) women in distress vampires creatures waxwork dolls |
actions, events | ancient curses / prophecies omens visions death decay downfall of a character go outside yourself experience exciting emotions reach the Sublime emotional intensity: rage passion terror madness lust sorrow confinement abduction
howling dogs clanking chains scraping of knives locked doors influence of the past on the present social upheaval (late 17th/18th centuries) ex: French Revolution scientific advances ex: experiments on electricity |
adjectives to describe the mood / atmosphere | |
fascinating frightening exciting / titillating / thrilling terrifying threatening horrifying discomforting unfamiliar challenging unsettling emotional evil dangerous dark unstable unconventional uneasy dramatic sensational gloomy / grim / gruesome wild extreme grotesque romantic macabre / morbid overwrought emotions (feel agitated) / vivid feelings supernatural |
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