20th Century American Gothic

Question 1

What were the main preoccupations>

Answer 1

Reflecting the darkness of modern society, exploring the extremes of horror, the fear of the unknown

Question 2

Leslie Fiedler

Answer 2

‘The essential sociological theme of the American tale of terror…is slavery and black revenge.’

Question 3

Family values

Answer 3

There was a strong focus on and fear of the perversion of family values and the consequent violent disruption of, often religious, culturally homogenous, small-town American communities. There was an overwhelming fear of ‘home-grown horrors’ (Sue Chaplin).

Question 4

What impact did the Cold War have on gothic writing?

Answer 4

[Finney and Levin’s work (The Body Snatchers and The Stepford Wives)]
Texts often featured people being replaced, sneaky, fearful things…EDIT THIS CARD A BIT LMAO

Question 5

What as gothic literature used to capture and reflect?

Answer 5

The most pressing and unsettling social and political concerns of the moment.

Question 6

What are the key texts?

Answer 6

Carrie, Stephen King
The Body Snatchers, Jack Finney
The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin