Lecture 5: American Gothic Flashcards
American Gothic Settings
Isolation: Decadent mansions, woods; symbolic of superstition and menace, emphasizing character isolation.
Symbolism: Wilderness mirrors characters’ psyche; eerie atmosphere, limited visibility.
Gothic: Subversive or Conservative?
Gothic: Subversive
Gothic Origins: Coined by Horace Walpole in “The Castle of Otranto” (1765) as a reaction against Rationalism and the Enlightenment.
Subversive: Erupts the irrational, contradicting human control; a space for expressing emotions.
Conservative: Serves as a warning through negative consequences, instilling desire for order and morality; scares conformity.
Conclusion: American Gothic embodies both subversion and conservatism.
American Gothic Themes
American Gothic Themes
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Gothic Master: Expert in merging irrational and rational, emphasizing content and form.
“The Raven” (1845): Gothic motifs, climax with the Raven’s arrival, and trochaic octameters.
Poe’s “Ligeia” (1838)
Narration: Homodiegetic and unreliable narrator; Poe plays on contrasts and ambivalence.
Ambiguity and Themes: Lack of visibility, fascination with morbidity, death, and decay.
Façade of the “Normal” in Gothic
Revealing Monstrosity: Uncovers hypocrisy, irrationality behind the facade of normalcy.
Women in American Society
Roles: Limited paths for women, societal expectations, involvement in social movements.
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Non-conformist Poet: Recluse, innovative style, themes of consciousness and boundaries.
Dickinson’s “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” (1862)
Metaphorical Funeral: Symbolizing a mental breakdown, breaking traditional boundaries.
Unique Style: Slant rhymes, enjambment, anaphora, and dashes for significance.
Key Literary Concepts
Metonymy, Trochee, Homodiegetic Narrator, Anaphora, Slant Rhyme.
