Introductory Materials & Notes English 10 & 10-A Mrs. Humbertson Gothic Literature AKA Dark Romanticism: Collection 1 - Ourselves & Others Introductory Materials & Notes English 10 & 10-A Mrs. Humbertson

A. STARTER: Choose one of the quotes, copy it in your notebook, & discuss how it applies to one of your greatest fears. B. C. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp3VgMoKU-8

What are our class’s top 10 fears?

Other Sources: http://psychology.about.com/od/phobias/p/commonphobias.htm http://www.livescience.com/13434-phobias-fears-acrophobia-heights-agoraphobia-arachnophobia.html

What happens to us when we feel fear? Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEikGKDVsCc Video: http://www.businessinsider.com/our-brain-chemistry-when-we-get-scared-2013-10

Collection 1: OURSELVES & OTHERS (explored through Gothic Literature) This collection explores how we: Interact with people – family, enemies, neighbors, siblings, or people in our community How different people’s perceptions differ according to various factors & stimuli Examines the human condition under adverse circumstances. “We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves…” especially if their perceptions of a situation may not be reciprocated.

When did Dark Romanticism become popular? Horace Found in different genres – especially short stories, poetry, and novels Also visible in gardens & courtyards (topiary trees, statues, hedges, fountains, wrought iron gates) And seen in architecture (gargoyles & stained glass windows, for instance) of the Middle Ages (especially in castles & churches) Also included art & photography (angels, images of death, nature, religion)

Application: Any kind of romantic or human interest aspect Adds horror or terror Stresses an atmosphere of mystery, horror, and dread. Plot involves hidden secrets which threaten to protagonist Always includes fear - some stimuli that frightens or terrifies the characters Examines the human condition enduring that fear

Famous Contemporary American Gothic Writers Edgar Allan Poe Steven King Stephenie Meyer Shirley Jackson

Gothic Literature: Setting Aspects Set in Medieval times Dark, mysterious, evil tone Sinister Settings – (Exs.) dark castle, palace, chamber, haunted mansion, church Isolated settings Inclement weather All come together to emphasize the sense of evil

Gothic Lit. Characteristics Presence of ghosts, spirits, vampires, and other supernatural entities Mysterious disappearances and reappearances Supernatural or paranormal occurrences

More Characteristics Religion, usually Christianity or at least spirituality, is confronted. A gothic “double” is used in which a character who seems to be good is linked with another who is evil www.pagedepot.com/.../ GOTHIC%20CHAPBOOKSX.HTM

More Characteristics Blood, pain, death Cruelty Eroticism Characters with “aberrant psychological states” Events are “uncanny, macabre, or melodramatically violent bordering between reality and unreality http://www.pantip.com/cafe/chalermthai/newmovie/hauntedcastle/hc.html

Purpose of Gothic Lit To evoke “terror” versus “horror” in the reader because of situations bordering reality/unreality Often used to teach a moral, theme, or message Modern-day stories may lack a Medieval setting, but will always develop an atmosphere of gloom and terror

Differentiating between them Horror “An awful apprehension” Described distinctly Something grotesque So appalling, unrealistic Depends on physical characteristics – you see what happens as opposed to imagining it Terror “A sickening realization” Suggestive of what will happen Depends on reader’s imagination Sense of uncertainty Creates an “intangible atmosphere of spiritual psychic dread”

Examples of Horrors & Thrillers Horror Movies “Saw” “Nightmare on Elm Street” “The Cabin in the Woods” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” “The Conjuring” Thrillers “Silence of the Lambs” “Seven” “The Dark Knight” “Shutter Island” “The Machinist” “The Shining” “Jacob’s Ladder”

STOP NOTES

Why do people like horror stories and psychological thrillers? http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them/ http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/ http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/why-we-love-scary-movies

Scary Stories http://www.blastr.com/2013-10-17/25-scary-stories-stephen-king-and-other-great-horror-writers-you-can-read-now

American Gothic Important from the mid-18th Century through modern times Related to “Romantic Period” Criticizes “national myth of new-world innocence by voicing the cultural contradictions that undermine the nation’s claim to purity and equality” - Teresa A. Goddu Tells of historical horrors that make national identity http://photos1.blogger.com/img/154/1420/1024/american%20gothic.jpg

Southern Gothic http://www.madelinecarolgallery.com/images/Southern%20Plantation.jpg Customary setting because it’s the source of values not necessarily welcome in the rest of the country Poe was the first Southern gothic writer Common themes: race, alienation, sense of “otherness”

Cyber gothic literature Situations seem unrealistic during this time period but possible in the future Dark setting Nothing natural; all man-made Characters’ bodies are often altered, making them less human-like Based on knowledge and a “technologically enhanced future” http://darklands.ivory-tower.net/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=17&meid=-1