WARREN HILLS REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT Warren Hills Regional High School 2015 Required English Language Arts Summer Assignment Grade 11, Honors English III (British Literature) 1. Read both of the following nineteenth-­‐century novels written by British authors during the summer 2015 break from school: Dracula, by Bram Stoker: This well-­‐known novel – whose main character has inspired countless modern-­‐day vampire stories, such as the Twilight book/movie series and TV’s The Vampire Diaries – follows the dangerous, “undead” Count Dracula’s move from his castle in Transylvania to urban London. The author addresses society’s concerns as the nineteenth century ends and the 20th century begins: advances in scientific achievement, technological progress and its dehumanizing effects, socially enforced male-­‐female roles, immigration’s impact on a culture, and the effects of abandoning tradition. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte: This novel is considered one of the most haunting stories of love and romance ever penned in the English language. When it was released in 1847, readers criticized Wuthering Heights as shocking due to its exploration of human cruelty and passionate love. The author explores themes involving the potential destructiveness of all-­‐consuming romance and the superficiality of social classes. 2. Both of these works fall under the “gothic novel” genre. Before you begin reading either novel, be sure to study the “Gothic Fiction” handout (attached) to understand the 10 elements that make a story “gothic.” 3. After reading the novels, select one to write about. Write a formal essay of at least five paragraphs explaining why literary critics classify the novel as a gothic novel. Use the elements listed in the “Gothic Fiction” handout to back up your arguments. The assignment as a whole will be worth 50 points. 4. The essay is due the first day of school for the 2015-­‐2016 school year. Please follow the rubric (see next page) and be sure to attach a copy of the rubric to the front of the essay before handing it in to your teacher. If there are any questions on the summer assignment, please contact Mr. Dennison, Supervisor of English and Social Studies, at DennisonK@warrenhills.org. Special Notes
Although you are only writing about one work, please be aware that our first unit of study will be a continuation of BOTH works—meaning you can expect all manner of quizzes, assignments, and discussions about both books during our first weeks of school. Also, plagiarism will NOT be tolerated. Read your own books. Write your own essays. Use your own brain! Name: _______________________________________ Date: ___________ Class Block: ___________ Gothic Fiction Formal Essay Rubric
PLEASE ATTACH THIS SHEET TO THE FRONT OF YOUR PAPER. ELEMENT EXPLANATION NO SORT OF YES This formal essay is typed in 12-­‐point Times New Roman font, is double-­‐spaced, contains a four-­‐line MLA heading, has a title, is formatted to display page numbers, and is stapled to this MODERN LANGUAGE rubric. The version of the novel read by the student should be 0 ASSOCIATION LAYOUT listed on a Works Cited page, along with any other sources quoted in the essay. (Only the novel is required to appear on the Works Cited page; no outside sources need be mentioned in the essay.) 10 The essay clearly shows that the novel (either Dracula or IDENTIFYING GOTHIC Wuthering Heights) matches up with at least six gothic ELEMENTS elements found in the “Gothic Fiction” handout. 0 10 TEXTUAL REFERENCES The essay refers to specific sections/passages and pages in the 0 novel when identifying each of the six gothic elements. 10 MECHANICS The essay contains no errors in grammar, syntax, spelling, etc. One point will be removed for each error, up to no more than 0 10 points. 10 ORGANIZATION Overall, this five-­‐paragraph (or longer) essay is well organized, stays on topic, and features well-­‐developed ideas. It contains 0 strong voice and sophisticated tone. 10 Total Score: /50 Teacher Comments: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
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The concept of the gothic novel was invented almost singlehandedly by Horace Walpole, whose The Castle of Otranto (1764) contains essentially all the elements that constitute the genre. Walpole's novel was imitated not only in the 18th century and not only in the novel form, but it has influenced the novel, the short story, poetry, and even filmmaking up to the present day. Gothic novels were most popular as an English-­‐language literary genre in the 19th century (1800s) and the late 18th century (late 1700s). Ten gothic elements are listed below. Usually, at least six of these characteristics/elements can be found in a typical gothic novel. A small percentage of gothic fiction manages to reflect all ten elements. 1. Setting in a castle/mansion. The action takes place in and around an old castle or mansion, sometimes seemingly abandoned, sometimes occupied. The building often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections. It may be near or connected to caves, which lend their own haunting flavor with their branching, claustrophobia, and mystery. 2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The work is pervaded by a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown. Often the plot itself is built around a mystery (such as unknown parentage), a disappearance, a murder, or some other inexplicable event. Elements 3, 4, and 5 below contribute to this atmosphere. 3. An ancient prophecy is connected with the castle/mansion or its inhabitants (either former or present). The prophecy is usually obscure, partial, or confusing. "What could it mean?" In more watered down modern examples, this may amount to merely a legend: "It's said that the ghost of old man Krebs still wanders these halls." 4. Omens, portents, visions. A character may experience a disturbing dream, vision, or other phenomenon that is seen as a portent of coming events. For example, if the statue of the lord of the manor falls over, it may portend his death. In modern fiction, a character might see something (a shadowy figure stabbing another shadowy figure) and think that it was a dream. This might be thought of as an "imitation vision." 5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events. Dramatic, amazing events occur, such as ghosts or giants walking, or inanimate objects (such as a suit of armor or painting) coming to life. In some works, the events are ultimately given a natural explanation, while in others the events are truly supernatural. A doppelganger sometimes appears; this is the ghostly double or twin of a living person. 6. High, even overwrought emotion. The narration may be highly sentimental, and the characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and (especially) terror. Characters suffer from raw nerves and a feeling of impending doom. Crying and emotional speeches are frequent. Breathlessness and panic are common. 7. Women in distress. As an appeal to the pathos and sympathy of the reader, the female characters often face events that leave them fainting, terrified, screaming, and/or sobbing. A lonely, pensive, and oppressed heroine is often the central figure of the novel, so her sufferings are even more pronounced and the focus of attention. The women suffer all the more because they are often abandoned or left alone (either on purpose or by accident), and they have no protector at times. 8. Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male. One or more male characters have the power – as king, lord of the manor, father, or guardian – to demand that one or more of the female characters do something intolerable. The woman may be commanded to marry someone she does not love (it may even be the powerful male himself), or commit a crime. 9. The metonymy of gloom and horror. Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand for something else (like sorrow). For example, the film industry likes to use metonymy as quick shorthand, so we often notice that it is raining in funeral scenes. Note that the following metonymies for "doom and gloom" all suggest some element of mystery, danger, or the supernatural. wind, especially howling rain, especially blowing doors grating on rusty hinges sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds footsteps approaching clanking chains lights in abandoned rooms gusts of wind blowing out lights characters trapped in a room doors suddenly slamming shut ruins of buildings baying of distant dogs (or wolves) thunder and lightning crazed laughter 10. The vocabulary of the gothic. The constant use of the appropriate vocabulary set creates the atmosphere of the gothic. Here is an example of some of the words (in three categories) that help make up the vocabulary of the gothic in The Castle of Otranto: •
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Mystery: diabolical, enchantment, ghost, goblins, haunted, infernal, magic, magician, miracle, necromancer, omens, ominous, portent, preternatural, prodigy, prophecy, secret, sorcerer, spectre, spirits, strangeness, talisman, vision Fear, terror, or sorrow: afflicted, affliction, agony, anguish, apprehensions, apprehensive, commiseration, concern, despair, dismal, dismay, dread, dreaded, dreading, fearing, frantic, fright, frightened, grief, hopeless, horrid, horror, lamentable, melancholy, miserable, mournfully, panic, sadly, scared, shrieks, sorrow, sympathy, tears, terrible, terrified, terror, unhappy, wretched Surprise: alarm, amazement, astonished, astonishment, shocking, staring, surprise, surprised, thunderstruck, wonder SOURCES: Robert Harris, Virtual Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com, 2009 Susan Woodward, LitPlan Teacher Pack for The Picture of Dorian Gray, Teacher’s Pet Publications, 2008, Page 77