Gothic Characteristics in “The Raven”
 Atmosphere of mystery and suspense: the cold, bitter winter night with the speaker
unable to sleep
 An unexplainable occurrence, or a story about a horrible death: the tapping at the door
and the death of his loved one
 Omens play a large role in the mysterious air: the bird pecking at the door can be
considered an omen of death
 Include highly charged emotional states: the speaker experiences anger and agitation
with bird’s inability to give him the response he longs for (that he will see his loved one
again)
 Supernatural events: unexplained sounds (the tapping of the bird on his chamber door)
 Words designed to evoke images of gloom and doom: dark, foreboding, forbidding,
ghostly, etc.: dreary, bleak, dying, sorrow, terrors, darkness, mystery, grave, nevermore,
unmerciful, unhappy, melancholy, ominous, grim, ghastly, gaunt, horror haunted.
 Romantic theme: the speaker experiences excessive grief due to the loss of his loved one.
Gothic Characteristics in “The Raven”
 Atmosphere of mystery and suspense: the cold, bitter winter night with the speaker
unable to sleep
 An unexplainable occurrence, or a story about a horrible death: the tapping at the door
and the death of his loved one
 Omens play a large role in the mysterious air: the bird pecking at the door can be
considered an omen of death
 Include highly charged emotional states: the speaker experiences anger and agitation
with bird’s inability to give him the response he longs for (that he will see his loved one
again)
 Supernatural events: unexplained sounds (the tapping of the bird on his chamber door)
 Words designed to evoke images of gloom and doom: dark, foreboding, forbidding,
ghostly, etc.: dreary, bleak, dying, sorrow, terrors, darkness, mystery, grave, nevermore,
unmerciful, unhappy, melancholy, ominous, grim, ghastly, gaunt, horror haunted.
 Romantic theme: the speaker experiences excessive grief due to the loss of his loved one.
Gothic Characteristics in “The Raven”
 Atmosphere of mystery and suspense: the cold, bitter winter night with the speaker
unable to sleep
 An unexplainable occurrence, or a story about a horrible death: the tapping at the door
and the death of his loved one
 Omens play a large role in the mysterious air: the bird pecking at the door can be
considered an omen of death
 Include highly charged emotional states: the speaker experiences anger and agitation
with bird’s inability to give him the response he longs for (that he will see his loved one
again)
 Supernatural events: unexplained sounds (the tapping of the bird on his chamber door)
 Words designed to evoke images of gloom and doom: dark, foreboding, forbidding,
ghostly, etc.: dreary, bleak, dying, sorrow, terrors, darkness, mystery, grave, nevermore,
unmerciful, unhappy, melancholy, ominous, grim, ghastly, gaunt, horror haunted.
 Romantic theme: the speaker experiences excessive grief due to the loss of his loved one.