The Dark Side of Individualism

Gothic Horror

Many writers of the 1800’s were unable to buy into the optimism of Transcendentalism due to horrors they had witnessed in their own lives and families.

Gothic Horror tends to explore the same ideas – ambition, human potential, the human mind – but in a much darker senseTranscendentalists explored our limitless positive

potentialGothic Horror writers explored our limitless

potential for evil, as well as the reasons a person might become evil

The Possibility of Evil

What causes a person to become “evil”? Insanity

Many things fall under this category, including obsession, a hunger for power, delusions of grandeur, and etc, as well as actual mental illness, such as paranoia, hallucinations, depression, and rage

FearWhen people are terrified of violence, pain, persecution, death, the

downfall of society, or God’s punishment, they rarely act altruistically

The Path to the Dark Side

What is the result?OppressionCrueltyViolence

Selfishness: Thinking of one’s own needs and wants, and disregarding the needs and wants of another

Control: A desire to force others to do what one wants them to, sometimes to feed one’s own need for power, and sometimes “for their own good”

Manipulation: Underhanded or devious methods of controlling others by using their emotions against them

Lack of Empathy: One is either unaware or unconcerned about the feelings of others

Gothic Horror Themes

Obsession: A person becomes hyper-focused on an idea, a plan, or another person. They will stop at nothing in their pursuit, even if they harm or kill others in the process.

Perfectionism: A person becomes convinced that if they try hard enough, they can create something perfect. It was believed that only God can achieve perfection, therefore, perfectionism is akin to “playing God.”

Gothic Horror Themes

Science Without Morality: Explores the phenomenon of “cultural lag,” in which a society learns HOW to do something before they know IF they should.

Gothic Horror Themes

Literary Examples Real World Examples

Twisted Perception: A person’s outlook becomes unrealistic, delusional, or hallucinatory. They may perceive a threat when there is none, or they may begin to believe in things that are not real.

Unreliable Narrator: a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised, due to the fact that he/she is lying, evil, or insane.

Gothic Horror Themes

Word of the DayPsychopomp: Certain creatures, such as

ravens, crows, dogs, cats, etc, that escort souls from the land of the living to the land of the dead. They are said to have the power to move freely between the realms, a privilege that is denied to all other creatures.

The Raven & Annabel Lee

Literary Devices

The impression or emotional atmosphere evoked by the text.

Mood"It is the eve of St. George's Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?“

from Dracula by Bram Stoker

The time, place, and circumstances in which a narrative, drama, or film takes place.

Setting