The Gothic Novel

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The Gothic Novel

• Background Notes
• Gothic Elements

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The Goths

• a Germanic tribe that originated in Sweden and
  spread through Europe
• Reached the height of their power around 5th
  century A.D., when they sacked Rome and captured
  Spain, but their history finally subsumed under
  that of the countries they conquered.

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Connection to the Gothic Novel?

• Centuries passed before the word "gothic" meant
  anything else again.
• During the Renaissance, Europeans rediscovered
  Greco-Roman culture and began to regard a
  particular type of architecture, mainly those
  built during the Middle Ages, as "gothic"
• No connection to the Goths, but they were
  considered barbaric and not in Classical (Roman)
  style
• In the 1800s, "gothic" came to describe a certain
  type of novels, because all these novels seem to
  take place in Gothic-styled architecture --
  mainly castles, mansions, and, of course, abbeys
  ("Gothic...").

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The Gothic Novel

• Gothic novel took shape mostly in England from
  1790 to 1830. It falls within the category of
  Romantic literature.
• But it is a reaction against the rigidity and
  formality of other forms of Romantic literature.
• The Gothic is not limited to this time period -
  it takes its roots from former terrorizing
  writing that dates back to the Middle Ages, and
  can still be found written today by writers such
  as Stephen King.

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Beauty the Beast
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Gothic FictionThe Dark Side of Romanticism
The Dark Romantics shared some of the ideas of
the Transcendentalists

• They took an interest in the spiritual world.

• They valued intuition and imagination over
  rationalism.

• They wanted to explore the mysteries of human
  existence.

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Gothic FictionThe Dark Side of Romanticism
However, the Dark Romantics disagreed with the
Transcendentalist notions that the divine is
implicit in nature and that people are
essentially good.
They felt that literature should take into account

• the darker side of human nature

• the presence of suffering in the world

• the ongoing conflict between good and evil

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Gothic FictionThe Dark Side of Romanticism
European Beginnings

• The Gothic novel, a form of Dark Romanticism,
  emerged in England in the late eighteenth
  century.

• These tales of terror often used the setting of
  the medieval gothic castle to evoke fear.

• Two classic examples are Horace Walpoles Castle
  of Otranto and Mary Shelleys Frankenstein.

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Gothic FictionThe Dark Side of Romanticism
European Beginnings
The term Gothic was later used to describe any
fiction that

• created a haunting atmosphere

• included strange and chilling events

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Conventions of Gothic Literature

1. A hero whose birth is enshrouded in mystery.
2. Restless ghosts groaning for revenge.
3. Forbidding cliffs, stormy seas (eerie settings)
4. Ancient manuscripts rediscovered produces a
   narration which gives an air of strangeness to
   the exotic setting.
5. Incest
6. Characters can often communicate psychically.
7. Often concerned with the possibility of returning
   to life after death.

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Conventions, Continued

1. Problem of evil presented as a psychological
   problem
2. Castle or house identified with its owner
3. Characters exhibit overwhelming guilt or pride.
4. Good characters are usually physically lovely
   evil characters have twisted bodies and ugly
   faces.
5. The idyllic life in nature invaded and destroyed
   by a dark ambiguous force.
6. Animals respond to a supernatural presence.

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More gothic elements

• 14. Feeling of gloom throughout the story
• 15. Terrifying things occur at night, usually
  after midnight.
• 16. Story often concerned with injustice.
• 17. Magic mirrors in which one can see anyone he
  wishes.
• 18. Moving statues and pictures.
• 19. Madness (insanity) often occurs.

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Gothic Elements, the last ones

• Dreaded secrets.
• Inexplicable music.
• Heroine is usually beautiful and virtuous, often
  an orphan and given to swooning and weeping.
• Hero usually has a vague past, is basically good
  but has a flaw.
• Characters usually not drawn realistically, may
  not even be believable.
• Fatal/tortured love