Gothic Novels

Question 1

Term

Answer 1

• name comes from gothic architecture; revival of interest in the past (medievalism), rebuying castles, rebuilding in gothic style
• origin: The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole - contains essentially all the elements that constitute the genre

Question 1

Setting: Castle/Mansion

Answer 1

• old castle/mansion; sometimes abandoned
• secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms,

Question 2

Nature

Answer 2

• wild, untamed nature; storms, rain, lightening flash, arctic ice
• out of romanticism: romantic movement against enlightenment (reason), there is more to life (wonder, beauty, deep emotion) nature typfied it - gothic movement goes with the wild side
• nature as powerful and awe-inspiring

Question 3

Atmosphere of Mystery and Suspense

Answer 3

• threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown

Question 4

The Supernatural

Answer 4

• ghosts,giants walking, inanimate objects (suit of armor, painting) coming to life
  -doesn’t have to be supernatural - can have rational explaining - e.g. Mysteries of Udolpho has reasonable explanation

Question 5

The Past

Answer 5

• past involves itself heavily on the present
• some kind of backstory behind everything; ancient prophecy; once a person who lived in the house…; can’t outrun the past

Question 6

The Sublime

Answer 6

take the emotions to an elevated level, to where they are overpowering, being overawed by nature/emotion - the human experience of being overwhelmed by a feeling, achieved by description of intense emotion

Question 6

Confinement

Answer 6

• sense of being trapped; can’t escape the inevitable; anxiety; vulnerability

Question 7

Metonymy

Answer 7

• subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand for something else (like sorrow)
• piece of nature stands for a feeling

Question 8

Hyperbolic Phrases

Answer 8

• adjectives are used to amplify nouns in order to
• create phrases that increase the feeling of dread, horror, anxiety, or suspense: deep grief, gigantic creature