Download The Gothic Novel

The Gothic Novel
A type of Romantic fiction that
predominated in England in
the late 18th and early 19th
centuries.
Age of Romanticism
 It
was a reaction against the
Age of Enlightenment.
 It emphasized intuition,
imagination and feeling.
Gothic art …
 Was
one kind of art under the
umbrella of Romanticism.
 Transcendentalism was
another…writers like Thoreau
and Emerson.
Underlying Theme
 The
human hunger to know…the
forbidden.
 Leading to the willingness to
bargain with the Devil, even
surrender one’s eternal soul as
payment for said knowledge.
Setting for Gothic Fiction
 Usually
a ruined castle or abbey
 Ghost-haunted rooms.
 Underground secret passages.
 Secret stairways.
 Isolated place.
 Graveyards
The Term “Gothic” is used in narrative
prose or poetry
 When…




the principal elements are…
violence
horror and
the supernatural
Supernatural Motifs
– reoccurring
theme, image, or
literary device.
Motif
The Double (Doppleganger)
 The
dual nature of man (good vs.
evil)
 Man’s opposing forces within
himself.
The Faust
 From
Dr. Faustus
(literature)…sold his soul to
the devil for knowledge/power.
 Attempt to control the
supernatural/forbidden
powers.
Graveyards/Churches
 This
motif was used to show
the confrontation man
would/could have with godly
forces.
Haunted Castle/House

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Represents the protagonist’s unconscious
mind…
… the hidden chambers.
… secret passage ways.
… twisting corridors
Multiple Narrators
 Often,
not always, there are
multiple narrators as a device
to see the multiple layers of
the conscience.
Madness
 In
order to move past the
mental and/or social blocks
that prevent most from going
into that subconsious/deeper
level, the character(s) must go
mad.
Blood
Often
used as a symbol for
the paradox of blood which
is life and death.
Spirits
 This
symbol often represents
the conflicts within the human
soul…therefore there can be
both evil and good spirits.
Dreams
Often
represent the truths
of the unconscious mind
that is typically repressed
by reason.
Monsters/ Satan/Fallen Man

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These characters are representative of that
human who denied the rules of the
universe (Faust).
Protagonist can become one.
Protagonist can face one.
Protagonist might be seduced by one
representing forbidden experiences.
All –in-all, the “Fallen Man”
 Represents
the loss of
humanity…

in most cultures.
 In Feminism and some Asian
Cultures, this step over the line is
viewed as liberating.
Gothic Architecture

The Vaulting
Ceilings, High
Reaching Spires,
and High Arches
were viewed as
Humans desire to
Reach God.