Gothic Romanti

cism

The Five I’s of Romanticism Intuition Imagination Innocence Inspiration from nature Inner experience

*the “I” in each one should remind you that Romanticism was fundamentally an individualistic outlook on life***

The Gothic Influence in Romantic Literature

The Gothic novel was invented almost single-handedly by Horace Walpole, who wrote The Castle of Otranto

Other authors: Ann Radcliffe’s

The Mysteries of Udolpho

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey (spoofs the Gothic)

The Gothic Influence in Romantic Literature (part two)

The strange thing is that it seemed unlikely to fit the new nation of America, where there weren’t any places old enough to have ghosts or to reek of the decay of ages

Edgar Allan Poe was attracted to the exotic, otherworldly trappings of the Gothic

Particularly in America, the Gothic took a turn into the psychological exploration of the human mind

Gothic setting:

Wild and desolate

landscapes Medieval castles Gloomy mansions

Gothic Setting:

Underground rooms

and tombs Secret passages

Gothic Subjects:

Doubles

and twins

Gothic Subjects:

•Dream and

death-like

states•Live burial

Gothic Subjects:

• Discovery of

obscure family ties• Incest• Unspeakable ideas

Gothic romanticism includes: An atmosphere of mystery and suspense

Gothic romanticism includes:

Women in distress High emotion

Gothic romanticism includes:

Supernatural or inexplicable events Gloom and horror Omens, portents, visions

Gothic romanticism includes:

•Omens and

visions•Psychology of the

human mind – What makes people do what they do?