Gothic Literature
Unit Notes
Gothic style is characterized by the following
elements:
• The story is set in bleak or remote places. In
classic gothic stories, this is often a ruined castle
or mansion.
• Characters are in a state of psychological or
physical torment.
• A supernatural or otherworldly element is often
present. Many times this is a monster of some
kind. In more modern gothic tales, the monster is
a person with a monstrous characteristic.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Was not best known as a gothic writer, but
his short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil”
definitely qualifies as gothic.
• Hawthorne spent most of his career fighting
against the Transcendentalist movement that
gained popularity in America during the
early 1800’s.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Hawthorne was descended from a prominent
Puritan family in Salem, MA.
• One of Hawthorne's ancestors was a judge that
played a key role in the witch trials.
• Hawthorne inherited much guilt from this, and it
led him to believe that evil was the dominant force
in the world.
• A common theme in his work was the exploration
of darkness in the human heart.
Works
• Hawthorne’s works included the famous
titles, The House of Seven Gables and The
Scarlet Letter.
• His story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” is an
example of an allegory.
Allegory and Parable
• A parable is a simple, usually brief, story
that teaches a moral lesson.
• Unlike a fable, which has animal characters,
a parable features humans.
• A parable is a type of allegory, or a story
with both literal and symbolic meaning.
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
• Hawthorne subtitles it “a parable” because he
wants to stress the importance of the moral
message of the story.
• The veil that Mr. Hooper vows never to remove is
a symbol—something that has meaning in itself
while also standing for something greater.
• To discover the veil’s symbolic meaning, notice
Hawthorne's descriptions of the veil and its effects
on the characters in the story.
Edgar Allen Poe
• One of the most beloved early American gothic
writers.
• We will view the A&E Biography of Poe’s life—
pay attention; the video moves quickly through the
study guide questions.
• Poe argued that a literary work should achieve a
unique or single effect.
– He believed that every character, incident and detail
should contribute to this effect.
Edgar Allen Poe
• A common motif in Poe’s work is the death of a
beautiful woman.
• Poe’s protagonists were always male, and they
almost always struggled with some sort of mental
torture or insanity.
• Poe’s settings were within the realm of classic
gothic stories; they were almost always in the
ruins of a castle, mansion or abbey.
POEtry
• Look for examples of:
– Repetition, or repeated words or phrases (they
are repeated for a reason!)
– Alliteration, or a repeated initial consonant
sound
– Rhyme, both internal and external
– Assonance, or a repeated vowel sound
among dissimilar consonant sounds
(eg. Given distance)