What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie
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Think about a scary movie you enjoy…
What happens—plot?
Where does it take place—the setting?
Why do people like to be scared?
The Dark Romantics
Gothic Literature
1760-1820…and beyond
“Can we speak of ‘ghosts’
without transforming the
whole world and
ourselves, too, into
phantoms?”
Jean-Michale Rebaté
The Origins of the term
Gothic (“Gothick”)
Gothic
 Originally referred to the northern
Gothic tribes that invaded Europe
in the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries
 Later applied to Renaissance
architecture (critics thought the
style originated with the Gothic
tribe)
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Was considered ugly, barbaric, archaic
Gothic Architecture
First Gothic Cathedral
build in 1144
 Gargoyles (originally
for religious buildings)
 Vaulted ceilings
 Structural ribbing
(skeletal)
 Stained glass
Art Influences
“The Nightmare”
Johann Heinrick Fuseli
The Beginning
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1764- Horace Walpole publishes The Castle of
Otranto: A Gothic Story anonymously
Contains essentially all the elements associated
with the genre
Best-seller
Had remodeled his home in “Gothick” style
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Said that the inspiration of his story was a dream
that was so haunting, he had to write it down
Elements of Gothic Literature
1. Setting
 Action takes place in or
around an old castle
 Seems abandoned, or
broken down
 Has secret passages, doors,
rooms
 Usually very large, but
seems claustrophobic
Elements of Gothic Literature
2. An atmosphere of mystery or suspense
 Feeling of being threatened or fearful
 Plot is built around a mystery (such as unknown
parentage, a disappearance, or some other
inexplicable event)
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This is achieved by the next three elements…
Elements of Gothic Literature
3. An ancient prophecy
 Usually connected with
the castle or its
inhabitants
 Obscure, partial, or
confusing
 The characters struggle
to understand
Elements of Gothic Literature
4. Omens, visions
 Character may have a disturbing dream/vision
 Some phenomenon may be seen as an omen of
coming events
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If the statue of the lord of the manor falls over, it
may predict his death
Elements of Gothic Literature
5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events
 Dramatic or amazing events occur
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Such as ghosts or giants, 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
Elements of Gothic Literature
6. High, overwrought emotion
 Narration may be highly sentimental
 Characters are often overcome by anger,
sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror.
 Suffer from raw nerves and a feelings of
impending doom
Crying and emotional speeches are frequent
 Breathlessness and panic are common
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Elements of Gothic Literature
7. Women in distress
 Female characters often face
events that leave them fainting,
terrified, screaming, and/or
sobbing
 Lonely, pensive, and oppressed
heroine, often the central figure
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Her sufferings are even more
pronounced and the focus of
attention than the other characters
in the story
Elements of Gothic Literature
8. Women threatened by a
powerful, tyrannical male
 A male character (king, lord of
the manor, father) has the
power to demand the female
character/s do something
intolerable
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May be commanded to marry
someone she does not love , or
commit a crime, keeps her
locked away
Elements of Gothic Literature
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).
 Metaphors use words. Metonymy uses images and
sound
Elements of Gothic Literature
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Wind, especially howling
Doors grating on rusty
hinges
Footsteps approaching
Gusts of wind blowing out
lights
Characters trapped in a
room
Baying of dogs (or wolves)
Thunder and/or lightning
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Rain
Sighs, moans, howls
Clanking chains
Lights in abandoned rooms
Doors suddenly slamming
shut
Crazed laughter
Children
Elements of Gothic Literature
10. Unreliable Narrator
 Character telling the story
isn’t trustworthy
Villain narrates
 Narrator is or goes insane as
the story goes on
 Narrator has limited
information
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Is your movie Gothic?
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Setting
Mystery
Ancient prophecy
Omen/Vision
Supernatural
High emotion
Women in distress
Women being threatened by man
Metonymy
Unreliable narrator
Examples
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The Ring Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6HaoRF
gSUw
GEICO ad:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWvdIUP9oc
Criticism
Gothic tradition has not been very highly regarded
 Attracted many “big” writers: Keats, Melville,
Faulkner
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but it is usually not these works that are highlighted
Women also wrote in this genre
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Jane Austin (Northanger Abbey), Mary Wollstonecraft
Shelley (Frankenstein)
Revivals
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1818: Frankenstein
1897: Dracula
1960’s: Gothic was the best-selling mass market fiction
1970-present: Stephen King
2005: biggest money making movie genre,
averaging $75 million per movie in box office
sales
The Master: Poe
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Edgar Allan Poe is the master
of gothic literature
He is famous for this use of
personal tragedies, especially
with women, in his work
Poe is most popular because
of his mastery of fear,
suspense, and death
Poe’s biography
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As most authors do, Poe used his personal life
as motivation to write
Poe
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With the exception of “The Raven,” not famous in
his own time
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His literary criticism made him more enemies
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What does a Literary Critic do?
He didn’t make much money on his writing
 Died of unknown causes, destitute and alone
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Shortly after his death, rival author/frenemy
Rufus Griswold set out to ruin Poe's reputation
with a lurid biography that painted him as a drug
user and madman. The scheme backfired when
Poe's sales skyrocketed and a legend was born.
Works Used
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Bayer-Berenbaum, Linda. “Elements of a Gothic.” Horror. Ed. Michael
Greenhaven Press, 2001. 72-83.
Stuprich. San Diego:
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“Door: Metal: Squeaky Metal Restroom Door in Building: Close: Slow Creak.” Sound Ideas. 2007.
Unitedstreaming. 17 April 2007. http://www.unitedstreaming.com/>.
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The Gothic Imagination. Ruthford: Associated University Press, Ltd., 1982.
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“Gothic Architecture.” Wikipedia Online. 2005. 6 March 2005
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture.
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Harris, Robert. “Elements of the Gothic Novel.” VirtualSalt. 2005. 6 March 2005.
http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm.
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Williams, Anne. “The Gothic Novel.” Horror. Ed. Michael Stuprich. San Diego:
Greenhaven Press, 2001. 62-71.
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Wolfreys, Julian. Victoria Haunting: Spectrality, Gothic, the Uncanny and Literature.
Houndsmills: Palgrave, 2001.