GOTHIC NOVELS

End of 18th century

Gothic novels…

were a very popular genre among all strata of society

Gothic novels…

were a very popular genre among all strata of society

Today’s ghost and horror stories derive from 18th-century Gothic novels

The term Gothic was associated with:

The term Gothic was associated with: Medieval => architectural style of the

Middle Ages

The term Gothic was associated with: Medieval => architectural style of the

Middle Ages

Irregular and barbarious (as opposed to classicism)

The term Gothic was associated with: Medieval => architectural style of the

Middle Ages

Irregular and barbarious (as opposed to classicism)

Wild and supernatural => mysterious & fearful

Gothic literature…

… can now be considered as the product of a society that was conscious of

social inequity

Big social changes of 18th century

RISE OF THE BOURGEOISIE, who had begun to understand its real condition

Big social changes of 18th century

MIGRATION towards INDUSTRIALIZED TOWNS

(thousands of people abandoned

country villages in search

of better job opportunities in cities

Big social changes of 18th century

INDUSTRIAL EXPLOITATION

which destroyed the importance of the single human being

MAN had become a SLAVE

to forces he could not control

In rejection of such reality:

In rejection of such a reality:

They showed big interest in the SUPERNATURAL

In rejection of such a reality => INTEREST in:

the SUPERNATURAL

INTENSE FEELINGS such as terror, as a way to realize individual potential

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEEdmund Burke

What is beauty?

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

What is sublime?

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

Flowerbeds are beautiful…

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

Daylight is beautiful …

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

Daylight is beautiful because it can be contemplated

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

The eruption of a volcano is sublime

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm is sublime

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm at sea is sublime An abyss is sublime

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm at sea is sublime An abyss is sublime The obscurity of the night is sublime

because…

CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke

the sublime arouses emotions such as:

– Uncertainty

– Anxiety

– Anguish

– Astonishment

– Admiration, reverence, respect

BURKE’s conclusion is that…

BURKE’s conclusion is that…

the great and the sublime are more effective than beauty in art because they arouse:

BURKE’s conclusion is that…

the great and the sublime are more effective than beauty in art because they arouse:

– HORROR & FEAR

….by suspending man’s faculty of reason

GOTHIC SYMBOLS

The wanderer

GOTHIC SYMBOLS

The wanderer

The vampire

GOTHIC SYMBOLS

The wanderer

The vampire

The overreacher

GOTHIC SYMBOLS

They represent:

-> Rejection of limits and constraints

GOTHIC SYMBOLS

They represent:

-> Rejection of limits and constraints

-> Interest in intense feelings

GOTHIC SYMBOLS

They represent:

-> Rejection of limits and constraints

-> Interest in intense feelings

->Concern with the exploration of forbidden, denied areas.

They all represent figures of individualists who are not satisfied with the society they live in

They all represent figures of individualists who are not satisfied with

the society they live in

Their concern with the exploration of

forbidden knowledge or denied areas reflects the wish to go beyond

God, nature and human limits.

They all represent figures of individualists who are not satisfied with

the society they live in

Their concern with the exploration of

forbidden knowledge or denied areas reflects the wish to go beyond

God, nature and human limits.

They reject all constraints and

limits imposed by religious or social

laws

CONSTANT FEATURESOF

GOTHIC NOVELS

SETTING

SETTING

Ancient settings: isolated castles, mysterious abbeys, hidden

passages, secret rooms Catholic countries (Protestant

prejudice)

CHARACTERS

CHARACTERS

Supernatural beings: vampires, monsters, ghosts Heroines stricken with terror and

persecutedTerrifying male characters victim of

their negative impulses with no command over them

PLOT

PLOT

very complicated, associated with mysterious elements

Exaggerated reactions of the characters to mysterious situations or events

ATMOSPHERE

ATMOSPHERE

Terrifying descriptions of ghosts/monsters Sense of mystery Great suspense

Most famous Gothic novels:

Most famous Gothic novels:

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

Most famous Gothic novels:

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff

Most famous Gothic novels:

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff

The Monk by Matthew Lewis

Most famous Gothic novels:

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff

The Monk by Matthew Lewis

Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

FRANKENSTEIN

by Mary Shelley

Epistolary Novel

Epistolary Novel

Maybe the writer wanted to disguise her own voice as a

woman by hiding behind three male narrators

Narration of

Walton

to his sister

Narration of

Walton

to his sister

Narration of Frankensteinto Walton

Narration of

Walton

to his sister

Narration of Frankensteinto Walton

Narration ofMonster to

Frankenstein

CHARACTERS

CHARACTERS

Few characters => the most important are the three narrators

Captain WALTON

A double of Frankenstein

Captain WALTON

A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition

Captain WALTON

A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:

Captain WALTON

A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:

– NATURE seen as the embodiment of God

Captain WALTON

A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:

– NATURE seen as the embodiment of God– The longing for the North and travel towards

the unknown

Captain WALTON

A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:

– NATURE seen as the embodiment of God– The longing for the North and travel towards

the unknown– The wish for loneliness and pride in being

different.

Captain WALTON

Captain Walton tries to go beyond human limits

Captain WALTON

Captain Walton is punished in the end as all overreachers are:

his punishment is • the imprisonment of his ship in the ice

•The rebellion of the crew

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

He is an overreacher

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

He is an overreacher He wants to defeat death and create a spark

of life without woman’s participation

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

He is an overreacher He wants to defeat death and create a spark

of life without woman’s participation He breaks the rules and challenges God =>

Myth of Prometheus

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

He is an overreacher He wants to defeat death and create a spark

of life without woman’s participation He breaks the rules and challenges God =>

Myth of Prometheus He is hungry for knowledge – His ambition

to know the secrets of life leads him to damnation => Myth of Dr. Faust

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein wants to access forbidden knowledge

without considering the consequences of his actions

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein is punished in the end His punishment is:

• The murder of his beloved•His own death

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein and the monster are complementary:

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein and the monster are complementary:

– both suffer from a sense of alienation and isolation

Victor FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein and the monster are complementary:

– both suffer from a sense of alienation and isolation

– Both begin with a desire to be good but become obsessed with hate and revenge

The MONSTER…

…becomes the protagonist in the third part of the novel

The MONSTER…

… is an intelligent being

The MONSTER

He is an intelligent being His natural sensibility is hurt by the

repulsion and terror he produces

The MONSTER

He is an intelligent being His natural sensibility is hurt by the

repulsion and terror he produces He represents a deviation from the rule – a

deviation from the forces of good.

The MONSTER

He is an intelligent being His natural sensibility is hurt by the

repulsion and terror he produces He represents a deviation from the rule – a

deviation from the forces of good. He becomes an outcast, a murderer and a

rebel against every human being

THEMES

THEMES

Forbidden knowledge

THEMES

The overreacher

THEMES

The overreacher– In the characters of Walton and Doctor Frankenstein

=> they both try to overcome human limits

THEMES

The double:

THEMES

The double:– Doctor Frankenstein and the monster are two

aspects of the same being => anticipating the double identity of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde

THEMES

Usurping the female role:

THEMES

Usurping the female role:– The creation of human beings becomes

possible without the participation of women

THEMES

Penetrating Nature’s secrets:

THEMES

=>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period

=>

THEMES

Penetrating Nature’s secrets: =>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period

=> Desire of the Romantics to penetrate Nature’s secrets related to the theme of the overreacher

THEMES

Penetrating Nature’s secrets: =>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period=> Desire of the Romantics to penetrate Nature’s secrets related to the theme of the overreacherLimits and dangers of scientific research

THEMES

Penetrating Nature’s secrets: =>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period=> Desire of the Romantics to penetrate Nature’s secrets related to the theme of the overreacherLimits and dangers of scientific research The novel is considered a forerunner of science fiction

THEMES

Social injustice - the monster is good in his inside

THEMES

Social injustice - the monster is good in his inside - he becomes evil only because of the humiliations and

injustices he has suffered => OUTCAST of society

THEMES

Education and experience:

THEMES

Education and experience:

=> represented by the monster’s intellectual and emotional development

The novel is only partly Gothic….

…because it is not set in a Gothic castle

The novel is only partly Gothic….

…because it is not set in a Gothic castle

It does not deal with supernatural events

The novel is only partly Gothic….

…because it is not set in a Gothic castle

It does not deal with supernatural events

It deals with a scientific experiment and the horror derived from the unexpected outcome

The Gothic element is to be found ….

…in the description of the parts of the corpse which make up the monster,

The Gothic element is to be found ….

…in the description of the parts of the corpse which make up the monster,

The dreadful setting

The Gothic element is to be found ….

…in the description of the parts of the corpse which make up the monster

The dreadful setting

The emotional atmosphere

FRANKENSTEINby mary Shelley

BE WARNED !