Unseen Gothic

Question 1

Questions to ask about thematic context of the work

Answer 1

• what is the narrative perspective
• who is the narrator
• are the characters in the passage granted agency or are they active or passive?
• How does the language of the passive reflect the ‘typical’ Gothic tropes of the sensational/ horror/ terror?
• How does the writer convey unexpected or uncanny elements?
• How is the setting presented?
• Are we seeing somewhere new or familiar?

Question 2

(More) questions to ask when thinking about the thematic context of the work

Answer 2

• How does the time period complicate or explain the text’s approach to it’s subject(s)
• Who has pawer in this text?
  -How might a modern reader approach the passage to reinterpret its Gothic qualities in this light?
• Does the passage convey naivete or experience? How does that alter our understanding of the narrative voice?
• How does the writer use suspense, anticipation and the unexpected to impact on the reader’s experience of the passage?
• Howe is the setting used by the author to reflect or enlarge on the experiences of the characters? Is the natural work (and weather conditions, etc) an important part of the context?
• How des the overall language of the passage reflect the Gothic genre? Is it even stereotypical, or is the Gothic genre being approached in an innovative or subversive way?