Summary of The Gothic as a genre for part a and b of the context and comparative paper, covers the timeline of the Gothic genre as well as critical quotations
CONTEXT + COMPARATIVE DOCUMENT- THE GOTHIC
GIVING A TEXT A GOTHIC READING- SO ‘GOTHIC’ HAS TO BE ALL OVER IT! ,
LIKE A FEMINIST READING
COLONIALISM 18th century is post-colonialism, colonialism occurred and the
colonies in the US were established during the 17th and early 18th centuries .
- Bloody chamber comes from a state of flux,
- Dracula fin de siècle
- Frankenstein- the binary oppositions of light, dark, etc- religion and
science
STRUCTURE –
Intro
- Thesis statement
- Define any terms
- MACRO LINK TO THE GOTHIC
- Micro link to both texts
- Differential+ converge remember gothic reading on texts
4 paragraphs
- 1 text, then compare
- Text ref
- Analysis
- Gothic reading, then circle back to the point
Context, more ao3 from other literary movements+ context, however
remember to remain focused on the question
Take a literary interpretation and agree/disagree with it
- Compare this to the other text
- Overall summarise
X4
Conclusion
Make thesis statement again
State counter arguments
Bring it home and apply to the Gothic + use both texts on their difference+
converging qualities
PRACTICE QUESTIONS –
1
,2
,MACRO link – how the statement within the question applies to the GOTHIC- maybe
use quote?
Then micro link to nitty gritty details ‘ as a whole’ in both texts- briefly
Feminist readings- use RS
Gender trouble -Judith butler- heterosexism at the core of sexual difference
fundamentalism
Mary Daly- If God is Male then Male is God
Need a comparative,
3
, Gothic timeline –
Pre-gothic 1721-1763
- Can be argued that Gothic starts with Shakespeare, but the influence of the
Graveyard poets sparks the rise of he first gothic Novel e.g. Parnell’s ‘Night-
Piece on Death’ as an example of Graveyard poetry.
- Thomson’s seasons
- Smith’s Longinus on the Sublime
- ^pre gothic is a cocktail of the sublime and its philosophy, renewed interest in
medievalism, the expansion of empire+ need for national identity, gothic revival
in art, and fascination with ghosts.
Some important texts:
- Strawberry Hill, redone in 1750 Horace Walpole, his father was prime minister in
1721 ,
- Burke’s Sublime and Beautiful , 1757
- 1743- Blair’s ‘Grave’
Early Gothic 1764- 1788 ( ends 1 yr before the French revolution- early gothic springs
into high Gothic during the time of the French Rev. and inspired revolutions)
- Begins truly with Walpole’s Castle of Otranto in 1764- though the other major
novel to identify itself as Gothic is Reeve’s Old English Baron, 1777
- Gothic craze is not immediate
- Interest in the middle ages, and the taste for sentimental literature, proves
important in influence
Key Texts:
- 1783- the loss of American Colonies ( beginning of the post-colonial age)
- 1774- Goethe’s sorrows of young wether
- 1771- Mackenzie’s Man of Feeling
- Old English Baron – Reeve- 1777
- Reliques of Ancient English Poetry – 1765
High Gothic 1788-1839
Frankenstein – 1818
Gothic flourishes with Radcliffe, thirst for terror, partly inspired by revolutionary
events+ political trouble abroad/ at home
- Peaks in the early 1800s and falls away in the teens
Kahlert’s necromancer
Matthew Lewis’ The Monk
Lewis’ Castle Spectre
Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner
4
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller rachelbrooks9. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $14.37. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.