1. Gothic Literature

2. TONE: Tone is the author’s attitude toward the writing (his characters, the situation) and the readers.
Example tone words:
Horror
Light
Sad
Clear
Serious
Formal
Suspicious
Gloomy
Amused
Humorous
Angry
Informal
Playful
Cheerful
Ironic
Witty

3. MOOD: Mood is the general atmosphere created by the author’s words
MOOD: Mood is the general atmosphere created by the author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets from reading those words
Example mood words:
Fanciful
Melancholy
Frightening
Mysterious
Frustrating
Romantic
Gloomy
Sentimental
Happy
Sorrowful
Joyful
Suspenseful

4. Elements of Gothic Fiction
Mystery
Horror
The Grotesque
Violence
The Supernatural

5. Gothic Conventions Murder Death Suicide Ghosts Demons Gloomy settings
Family secrets
Dungeons
Curses
Torture
Vampires
Spirits
Castles
Tombs
Terror
Damsel in distress (faints in horror)
Secret corridors, passageways, or rooms
Ancestral curses
Ruined castles with graveyards nearby
Priests and monks
Sleep, dream, death-like states

6. The Importance of Setting
Evokes the atmosphere of horror and dread
Also portrays the decaying world
At one time the abbey, castle, or landscape was something treasured and appreciated
Now, all that lasts is the decaying shell of a once thriving setting
May serve as a “character” itself within the story

7. Example of a transformed setting

8. Gothic Architecture Castles Archways Gargoyles Vaulted ceilings
Stained Glass

9. Notre Dame

10. Hints that you have a gothic…
wind, especially howling
sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds
rain, especially blowing
clanking chains
doors grating on rusty hinges
gusts of wind blowing out lights
footsteps approaching
doors suddenly slamming shut
lights in abandoned rooms
crazed laughter
characters trapped in a room
baying of distant dogs (or wolves?)
ruins of buildings
thunder and lightning

11. Popular Gothic Authors and Their Literature
Gaston Leroux- The Phantom of the Opera
Oscar Wilde- The Picture of Dorian Gray

12. Edgar Allen Poe
Poe can be considered the father of the modern horror story, influencing writers such as Stephen King and Anne Rice

13. 20th century Gothic FILM LITERATURE MUSIC Examples: Tim Burton:
Psycho
Rosemary’s Baby
The Exorcist
The Shining
The Addams Family
Twilight Series
Underworld
Tim Burton:
Sleepy Hallow
Edward Scissorhands
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Sweeny Todd
Corpse Bride
Anne Rice
Includes: Interview with the Vampire and The Queen of the Damned
Stephen King
Joyce Carol Oats
MUSIC
Gothic Rock
The Cure
Joy Division
Heavy Metal
Black, Thrash, Death, Gothic metal
(Metallica’s The Call of Ktulu)

14. “Vincent” by Tim Burton