The Gothic Literary Movement.

Literary Overview:
• Gothic Literature started in England in the mid-eighteenth century.
• This movement came about when the foundation, in which England was
built on, began to unravel and was no longer supportable (Ruotolo). The
ideas and theories that defined England were basically contradicting
“revealing a rupture in what had been thought of as the time and place
of "the well-bred gentleman."”(Berger.) Around 1780 the things that
had been set in stone for centuries were crumpling; such as religion, the
hierarchy, and social standing. People were in fear, because there world
was not as stable and structured as they thought it was.
Literary Overview Continued:
• The world was tense with fear due to the questioning of the rules, and social
settings that have always been there.
• Gothic Literature sparked because, the people of this era were scared of what
the future held.
• People were in fear of how this new corruption would be resolved. The novelist
who wrote all these Gothic works, like William Beckford and James Hogg, were
simply voicing the people’s opinion to the world; and, that voice was screaming
fear.
• Without the Gothic Literary Movement, we would be without the entertaining
dramatic novels we enjoy; however, more importantly, we would not know the
struggle the people in the past had to make our world as beautiful and amazing
as it is today. Gothic Literature, is an over exaggerated view into the past.
Social Elements and
Implications
Included…
terror and horror; because, people had no social
identity anymore because of the changing of
society. Up until the mid- eighteenth century,
social structure, or hierarchy, was the most
important thing in English culture.
This was a change in the way the world had
viewed social structure. For the first time
ever, all people were treated equal with no
limitations of name or lack of family
name. The over exaggerated fears- fears of
ghost, demons, beasts- that characters
faced in the Gothic Novels, were what the
people of mid-century England were
facing.
Time Period and Social Structure:
In the late eighteenth century, roughly
1790, England was in a fallen state. “A
period which was in disfavor because it
was perceived as chaotic, unenlightened,
and superstitious” (Gothic) was
considered the state of England when the
term “Gothic” came around.
Religious Elements and
Implications Included…
Cemetery Setting:
• Cemeteries were so prominent due to the
fear of death that most people have.
• The cemeteries were good places for
mystery
• “Catacombs are especially evocative
Gothic spaces because they enable the
living to enter below ground a dark
labyrinth resonating with the presences
and mysteries of the dead” (T. Doug).
• however, these settings had no
religious aspects, just dealing with the
dead who were buried there.
The Devil:
The Devil Continued:
• In the Gothic novel he can be used in
two ways. One is the devil punishing
someone who deserves it, “this signals a
more traditional and Christian
moral universe, in which sinners
receive their due punishment”
(Glossary).
• however, in the crueler use, the devil
can cause evil to a good person “an
expansive sense of evil randomly
blights the human world” (Glossary).
This is a deeper fear, because it appeals
to tender topic of faith.
Anti-Catholicism:
• Due to the change from dominant Catholic faith to
Protestant views, many authors wrote on against
Catholic views.
• mostly because, Gothic Authors tended to be
men/women who were seeing the changes of society
as a positive thing. The Protestant religion became so
appealing due to its lack of rules, the openness of
acceptance, and the forgiving nature of God.
Political Elements and
Implications Include…
Mid-century England’s political system was a monarchy, until the
eighteenth century when revolutions in France and America caused an
uproar of equality. Both, Gothic literature and revolution into a world of
equal ideas were born at the same time. Classical and Contemporary
views of imagery and religion were now being substituted with AntiCatholicism- against the forceful and unforgiving rules of the catholic
faith- views.
REVOLUTION:
THE ENLIGHTENMENT:
Artistic Elements and
Implications Included…
The Lifestyle:
• Since the Gothic movement started in the late 18th
century, it has shifted and transformed within
today’s modern culture; however, most people
classify it as more of an art than a literary
style. The Gothic literary movement did not just
affect writing, but also architecture, portraits,
writing, and lifestyles
The Gothic Hero:
The Key Word Here….
Work Cited Page:
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Butcher, Matt. "From Gothicism to Romanticism: The History of Gothic Literature." Helium: Art and Humanities.
2002. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. <http://www.helium.com/items/135576-from-gothicism-to-romanticism-the-history-ofgothic-literature>.
Canada, Mark. "Edgar Allan Poe." The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. 1997. Web. 04 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/17841865/lit/poe.htm>.
De Vore, David. "The Gothic Novel." Http://cai.ucdavis.edu. 1994. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.
<http://cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html>.
Harris, Robert. "Elements of the Gothic Novel." VirtualSalt. 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 03 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm>.
HighBeam. "Gothic Literature." Www.highbeam.com. 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3279300020.html>.
Hume, Robert D. "Hume, "Gothic Versus Romantic"" University of Pennsylvania | Department of English. Mar.
2001. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/Articles/hume.html>.
MHS Learning Group. "Gothic: Origins." Under Construction. Apr. 2005. Web. 04 Feb. 2011.
<http://resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/creating/pages/origins.htm>.
T.Doug. "Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms." Www.georgiasouthern.edu. Spring 2001. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.
<http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~dougt/goth.html>.
The Oxford Literary Group. "The Gothic Experience." Www.brooklyn.cuny.edu. 24 Oct. 2002. Web. 04 Feb. 2011.
<http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/gothic/gothic.html>.
Virgina EDU Group, Amanda, Zach, Christiane, Ami, Liz. "The Gothic: Materials for Study." Index of /. Winter 2006.
Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://graduate.engl.virginia.edu/enec981/Group/title.html>.