Dark
Romanticism
1840-1865
Dark Romanticism Packet
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Notes
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Herman Melville
After Reading “The Lightning Rod Man,” answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. What was the weather like?
2. What did the walking stick look like?
3. What is the stranger’s invitation?
4. What is the most dangerous part of a house? Why?
5. What does the stranger do for a living?
6. What is the difference between iron and copper rods?
7. Why is this man’s floor a problem?
8. Why doesn’t the man ring the doorbell?
9. What are Lightning-Rod Man’s precautions?
10. What is the safest part of the house?
11. What is the safest thing to do in a storm? Why?
12. What does the Lightning-Rod man do when he finds out he will not make a sale?
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Nathaniel Hawthorne
After reading “The Minister’s black Veil,” on page 340 answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. What effect did the veil have when the congregation first saw it? Take note how this reaction changes over the course
of the story.
2. What is the topic of the sermon that Mr. Hooper delivers? What is its significance?
3. What was the explanation by members of the congregation for this strange object?
4. What effect was the veil and Hooper said to have had on the corpse at the funeral?
5. What effect did the veil have on the wedding?
6. When Mr. Hooper saw himself in the mirror, how did the veil affect him?
7. What's Elizabeth's relationship to Hooper? What eventually happens to her? What does she become?
8. What did Hooper see when he looked into the burial ground?
9. On his deathbed, what did Hooper cite as the reason for wearing his veil?
10. What is Hawthorne trying to reveal about humanity that connects to dark romanticism?
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Edgar Allan Poe
After reading “The Tell-Tale Heart,” answer the following questions in compete sentences.
1. What is it about the old man that troubles the narrator? Why?
2. What does the narrator do every night? Why?
3. On what night does the narrator kill the old man?
4. How does the narrator feel after he commits the murder?
5. Is he worried about being caught?
6. Where does the narrator place his chair?
7. Why does the killer confess?
8. Did this story scare you? If not, what would make it scary?
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Edgar Allan Poe
Solving the Mystery
The Tell-Tale Heart
Suspect
Investigator
Physical Evidence
Circumstantial Evidence
Witnesses
Officials
Victim
Other Evidence
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After reading “The Fall of the House of Usher” on page 312, answer the following questions in compete sentences.
1. What mood does Poe create at the beginning of the story, and how is that mood established?
2. How does the narrator personify the house in paragraph 1?
3. Is there anything noteworthy about the description of Usher’s house?
4. How would you characterize Roderick Usher and his life? What does he consider to be the cause of his problems?
5. What is the narrator’s initial reaction to the sight of his friend Usher, and how does he feel about the prospect of
cheering him up?
6. What is the nature of Usher’s art? Consider the significance of the painting described, as well as of the ballad “The
Haunted Palace” in relation to the story as a whole.
7. Is there anything ironic about the narrator’s role in the story?
8. Is there any significance to Roderick and Madeline being twins?
9. What do you think is the overall theme of the story?
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After reading “The Oval Portrait,” answer the following questions in compete sentences.
1. Who is telling this story?
2. Why does he have to enter the castle?
3. Is he alone?
4. When does he see the oval portrait?
5. Describe the figure in the portrait.
6. How does he get to know the story of the girl in the portrait?
7. Who painted the girl in the portrait?
8. Describe her husband.
9. What happened to the girl in the end?
10. What are the “romantic” elements in this story?
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After reading “The Masque of the Red Death,” answer the following questions in compete sentences.
1. What happens to the country in this story?
2. How do Prince Prospero’s reactions to these events reveal his character?
3. Does Poe approve of Prince Prospero? Why or why not?
4. How do the details of colors, numbers, and lighting effects help create the mood of this story?
5. Which room disturbs the revelers the most? Why?
6. What is the significance of the ebony clock, and how does it reflect the main idea of the story?
7.
What is the “masked figure” masked? How does Prosper react to him? Why?
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Dark Romantics Comparison Chart
Complete the following chart for three Dark Romantic authors providing examples of each dark characteristic in their writing.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Herman Melville
Supernatural
Sin
Guilt
Suspense
Evil
Madness
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Edgar Allan Poe
What does this author write
about?
Does his writing scare you or give
you the creeps?
Do you view his writing as “dark”?
Are any Romantic qualities present
in the writing?
Do you like this author? Why or
not?
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