American Gothic

1
American Gothic

• The Darker Side of Life

2
Meaning of Gothic

• to do with the Goths referring to the
  barbarian tribes of Northern Europe
• Comes to signify all things medieval
  architecture, art, and literature
• Synonymous with uncivilized, uncultivated, and
  chaotic
• Use of medieval, wild, or mysterious elements in
  literature

3
European Gothic

• Gothic usually applied to a group of novels by
  such authors as Ann Radcliffe, Horace Walpole,
  and Mary Shelley.

4
Common Elements in Gothic Literature

• Old or archaic settings castles, manors,
  basements
• Mysterious and gloomy settings
• Horrifying events
• Use of the supernatural
• Stereotyped characters
• Suspense

5
American Gothics

• Heavily influenced by Puritanism
• Sin and guilt are prominent
• Prevalent darkness- physical and emotional
• Main authors - Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar
  Allen Poe

6
Conventions of Gothic Literature

• hero/heroine
• villain
• Travel
• transports character from everyday life
• educates reader on foreign lands
• casts an aura of mystery