Gothic Literature

Background

• Originated in the 18th

century

• Genre is devoted to tales

of horror and dark

supernatural forces

• Gothic literature was a

reaction to social

upheaval in Britain due

to economic and political

problems.

Gothic Literature addresses

• What it means to be a human being

• The outsider/outcast: the “other”

– punished for being different

• Injustice

– reactions to inequality

• Class relations

• Element of uncertainty

Components of Gothic Lit.

• The Double: A 2nd or

alternate identity

– Represents opposing forces

in human nature

– Suggests that humans have

a dual nature

• Forbidden knowledge or

forbidden power

– Hero attempts to control

supernatural powers

– Ambition leads to Hero’s fall

Components of Gothic Lit.

• Castles

– Reflect the hero’s

psychological

character

– scary/haunting feeling

• Mystery

– Lack of identity and

nameless individuals

give a mysterious feel

to cover truths

Components of Gothic Lit.• Dreams and Visions

– Reveal hidden truths of the

unconscious mind

• Graveyards/Churches/Ruins

– Suggest human confrontation

with infinite forces (no

boundaries or limits)

• Madness

– Reflects realities beyond

rational comprehension

– Mad characters speak the

truths that we wish to deny!

Importance of Setting

• The setting is greatly influential in Gothic

novels. It not only evokes the atmosphere

of horror and dread, but also portrays the

deterioration of its world. The decaying,

ruined scenery implies that at one time

there was a thriving world.

Setting Elements

• A castle, ruined or intact, haunted or not

• Ruined buildings which are sinister or a

pleasing melancholy

• Metonymy: something is used to stand for

something else

– Extreme landscapes, like mountains, thick

forests, fog and extreme weather.

What is mood?

How the READER feels when

reading the text.

Different Moods You Feel When You Read

Positive Moods

Amused

Calm

Content

Dreamy

Ecstatic

Excited

Exhilarated

Hopeful

Loving

Mellow

Optimistic

Passionate

Rejuvenated

Relaxed

Satisfied

Sentimental

Surprised

Sympathetic

Touched

Vivacious

Warm

Welcoming

Negative

Moods

Aggravated

Annoyed

Anxious

Brooding

Cold

Confused

Cranky

Cynical

Depressed

Disappointed

Dreary

Enraged

Exhausted

Foreboding

Gloomy

Hopeless

Indifferent

Irate

Jealous

Lonely

Morose

Nervous

Numb

Overwhelme

d

Pensive

Pessimistic

Scared

Serious

Sick

Stressed

Suspenseful

Tense

Terrifying

Violent

Worried

Let’s Practice

• “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe

• http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a

nnabel-lee

/

It was many and many a year ago.

In a kingdom by the sea.

That maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;-

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

Atmosphere (mood)

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than

love–

I and my Annabel Lee—

With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me.

1st person point of

view

Repetition

And this was the reason that, long

ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud by night

Chilling my Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsmen came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The Notebook Scene

Rhyme Scheme & Repetition

The angels, not half so happy

in Heaven,

Went envying her and me--

Yes! that was the reason (as all

men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the

cloud, chilling

And killing my Annabel

Lee.

Consonance: repetition of similar consonant sounds

But our love it was stronger by

far than the love

Of those who were older than

we—

Of many far wiser than we—

And neither the angels in Heaven

above

Nor the demons down under

the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from

the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel

Lee--

Mood

Imagery

For the moon never beams without bringing me

dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,

In her sepulchre there by the sea—

In her tomb by the side of the sea.

Symbolism

Assonance

Repetitive vowel sounds

 Quote example

from poem

 Analysis of that

example(Have you made a

connection to a picture that is painted for

EVERY word)  

 What is the mood generated by your

quote? (Name it!)

 How does the quote

connect to the mood?(If it doesn’t connect, YOU CAN’T USE IT!)

 

And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the sideOf my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,In her sepulcher there by the sea—

In her tomb by the side of the sea     

“sepulcher” is a crypt---shows what it means to be human and the cycle of life.

Repetition of “Lee,” “me” and “sea” reiterates and repeats his emotions of sorrow and loss of his love.

“Stars never rise” connects to his motivation to live without “my life” and “my bride”

 The mood generated by this quote is BLEAK and MELANCHOLY.

The mood is cold and bitter and seems to suggest that the individual telling the story is willfully tortured. This willful torture is best displayed in the last stanza when it is revealed that he sleeps in Annabel Lee's tomb.

Now let’s make a connection…

• Based on the analysis of the poem

and the mood, how does this connect

to the historical context of the time

period and gothic literature?

Connection:

• Mystery: The narrator is nameless with a lack of

identity and is a mysterious figure in the poem.

There is a mystery of how Annabel died and if

the narrator played a role in the death.

• Castle: “A kingdom by the sea” refers to a

castle. This signifies a haunting feeling to propel

the plot. The castle affects the narrator and his

emotions as a reminder of his love for her.