American Gothic

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American Gothic

1. Inability to overcome perversity by rational
   thought
2. Sucked in by rational ideals in irrational
   situations
3. Fear the unknown or future
4. Existence is horrifying destruction and loss
5. Almost synonymous with dark romanticism

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Gargoylescarvings of small deformed creatures
squatting at the corners and crevices of Gothic
cathedralswere supposed to ward off evil
spirits, but they often look more like demonic
spirits themselves.

• Think of the gargoyle as a mascot of Gothic, and
  you will get an idea of the kind of imaginative
  distortion of reality that Gothic represents.

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Gothic vs. Romanticism

• Romantic writers celebrated the beauties of
  nature.

• Gothic writers were peering into the darkness at
  the supernatural.

• Romanticism developed as a reaction against the
  rationalism of the Age of Reason.
• The romantics freed the imagination from the hold
  of reason, so they could follow their imagination
  wherever it might lead.
• For some Romantics, when they looked at the
  individual, they saw hope (think A Psalm of
  Life).

• For some Romantic writers, the imagination led to
  the threshold of the unknownthe shadowy region
  where the fantastic, the demonic and the insane
  reside.
• When the Gothic's saw the individual, they saw
  the potential of evil.

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Edgar Allan Poe

• His stories have
• Settings that featuring
• Dark, medieval castles
• Decaying ancient estates
• Characters that are
• Maleinsane
• Femalebeautiful and dead (or dying)
• Plots that include
• Murder
• Live burials
• Physical and mental torture
• Retribution from beyond the grave

For Poe, it was only in these extreme situations
that people revealed their true nature.
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The Gothic dimension of Poes fictional world
offered him a way to explore the human mind in
these extreme situations and so arrive at an
essential truth
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Edgar Allan Poe
1809-1849
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Edgar Allan Poe

• 1809-1849
• Born in Boston
• The son of traveling actors
• Tragic and unhappy life

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• Mother died, father deserted him at the age of
  two
• New mother (Mrs. Allan) died
• In 1836 married his 14 year old cousin, Virginia
• She died of tuberculosis at a young age
• Last 12 years of life worked as a journalist,
  editor, and creative writer
• Died in Baltimore after he was found in a drunken
  stupor

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Problems begin
Even though John Allan had plenty of money, he
only gave Edgar about a third of what he needed.
Although Edgar had done well in Latin and French,
he started to drink heavily and quickly became in
debt. He had to quit school less than a year
later.
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The Army Days
Edgar Allan had no money, no job skills, and had
been shunned by John Allan. Edgar went to Boston
and joined the U.S. Army in 1827. He was 18. He
did reasonably well in the Army and attained the
rank of sergeant major. In 1829, Mrs. Allan died
and John Allan tried to be friendly towards Edgar
and signed Edgar's application to West Point.
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West Point
In 1830, Edgar Allan entered West Point as a
cadet. He didn't stay long because John Allan
refused to send him any money. It is thought that
Edgar purposely broke the rules and ignored his
duties so he would be dismissed.
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Struggling Writer
In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City
where he had some of his poetry published. He
submitted stories to a number of magazines and
they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no
job, and was in financial trouble. He sent a
letter to John Allan begging for help but none
came. John Allan died in 1834 and did not mention
Edgar in his will.
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Death
On October 3, 1849, Poe was found on the streets
of Baltimore delirious, "in great distress,
and... in need of immediate assistance",
according to the man who found him, Joseph W.
Walker. He was taken to the Washington College
Hospital, where he died on Sunday, October 7,
1849, at 500 in the morning
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Death
The actual cause of death remains a mystery.
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The Raven
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(No Transcript)
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ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while
I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint
and curious volume of forgotten lore While I
nodded, nearly napping, suddenly
there came a tapping, As of some one gently
rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
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Poetry Qualities
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ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I
pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and
curious volume of forgotten lore While I
nodded, nearly napping, suddenly
there came a tapping, As of some one gently
rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Rhyme
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ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I
pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and
curious volume of forgotten lore While I
nodded, nearly napping,
suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one
gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Onomatopoeia
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ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I
pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and
curious volume of forgotten lore While I
nodded, nearly napping,
suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one
gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Alliteration
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Assonance the repetition of vowel sound,
usually within words.