unit 1: the literary style of edgar allen poe. what comes to your mind when you hear the word...
TRANSCRIPT
Unit 1: The Literary Style of Edgar Allen Poe
WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD
“GOTHIC”?> Do you think of the
subculture?> Like punks or
hippies, goths are countercultural or anti-mainstream
> Which is the goth in the picture to the
right?
MORE GOTHS
MORE GOTHS
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
Or did you think of Gothic architecture?
Gothic architecture is the architecture of the
Middle Ages, or Medieval period (from about the
400s to the 1500s)
It is most familiar to us as the architecture of
many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and
parish churches of Europe
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
GOTHIC CASTLE
It is also the style of many
castles, palaces, town
halls, universities,
and even homes.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE IN ART
Gothic architecture is known to have characteristics
that appeal strongly to the emotions and imagination.
Therefore, it is commonly featured in
paintings and other works of
art.
MORE GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE IN ART
MORE GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE IN ART
THE ORIGINAL GOTHS
-Eastern Germanic tribe
-Played an important role in
the fall of the western Roman
Empire-Probably
originated in or near modern-day Sweden
Gothic architecture named “Gothic” after new “classical” style of architecture began to replace it (people during the Middle Ages did not call it Gothic)
During the Renaissance, people began to call Medieval architecture “Gothic” as an insult
They used the term “Gothic” to mean barbaric or unsophisticated, because that’s how they saw the Gothic people
SO WHY USE THE WORD “GOTHIC” FOR THE
ARCHITECTURE?
-By the late 1700s, however, people began to become nostalgic for the Middle Ages (they “missed” it, even though
they weren’t alive for it).
-They became fascinated with medieval Gothic ruins.
This fascination was often combined with an interest in the supernatural.
THE GOTHIC REVIVAL
-The gothic novel of the late eighteenth century began with the 1764 publication of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole-Other famous early gothic novels were
Frankenstein and Dracula-These novels featured the Medieval or
Gothic architecture and supernatural events that people had become fascinated with
THE GOTHIC REVIVAL
The gothic novel established the common images of modern horror literature and film, such as graveyards, ruined castles or churches, ghosts, vampires, nightmares, cursed families, and being buried alive.
Henceforth, the term “Gothic” became associated with a mood of horror, morbidity, darkness and the supernatural.
THE GOTHIC NOVEL’S LEGACY
About writing his short stories and poems, Poe said, “I prefer commencing with the
consideration of an effect” (“Philosophy of Composition”).
This means that his goal in writing was to produce a certain effect in the reader,
rather than to get a certain meaning across.
POE’S USE OF GOTHIC ELEMENTS
Part of the effect he wanted to get across was in the mood of his work
The Mood of a work of literature is the emotional atmosphere that the writer wants the reader to feel
In other words, it is the general feeling or emotion throughout a selection of literature, or throughout a work as a whole
MOOD
Poe wrote in the Gothic genre in order to create the effect he wanted to make in the reader
He wrote in the Gothic genre in order to create certain moods
He wrote in the Gothic genre because it included images such as graveyards that help create a certain mood.
GOTHIC ELEMENTS TO CREATE MOOD
While reading Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” on page
25, take notes on the elements that make it a Gothic story and on the images and words
that help create the mood of the story.
ASSIGNMENT