GOTHIC NOVELS End of 18th century
GOTHIC NOVELS
End of 18th century
Gothic novels…
were a very popular genre among all strata of society
Gothic novels…
were a very popular genre among all strata of society
Today’s ghost and horror stories derive from 18th-century Gothic novels
The term Gothic was associated with:
The term Gothic was associated with: Medieval => architectural style of the
Middle Ages
The term Gothic was associated with: Medieval => architectural style of the
Middle Ages
Irregular and barbarious (as opposed to classicism)
The term Gothic was associated with: Medieval => architectural style of the
Middle Ages
Irregular and barbarious (as opposed to classicism)
Wild and supernatural => mysterious & fearful
Gothic literature…
… can now be considered as the product of a society that was conscious of
social inequity
Big social changes of 18th century
RISE OF THE BOURGEOISIE, who had begun to understand its real condition
Big social changes of 18th century
MIGRATION towards INDUSTRIALIZED TOWNS
(thousands of people abandoned
country villages in search
of better job opportunities in cities
Big social changes of 18th century
INDUSTRIAL EXPLOITATION
which destroyed the importance of the single human being
MAN had become a SLAVE
to forces he could not control
In rejection of such reality:
In rejection of such a reality:
They showed big interest in the SUPERNATURAL
In rejection of such a reality => INTEREST in:
the SUPERNATURAL
INTENSE FEELINGS such as terror, as a way to realize individual potential
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEEdmund Burke
What is beauty?
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
What is sublime?
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
Flowerbeds are beautiful…
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
Daylight is beautiful …
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
Daylight is beautiful because it can be contemplated
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm is sublime
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm at sea is sublime An abyss is sublime
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm at sea is sublime An abyss is sublime The obscurity of the night is sublime
because…
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
the sublime arouses emotions such as:
– Uncertainty
– Anxiety
– Anguish
– Astonishment
– Admiration, reverence, respect
BURKE’s conclusion is that…
BURKE’s conclusion is that…
the great and the sublime are more effective than beauty in art because they arouse:
BURKE’s conclusion is that…
the great and the sublime are more effective than beauty in art because they arouse:
– HORROR & FEAR
….by suspending man’s faculty of reason
GOTHIC SYMBOLS
The wanderer
GOTHIC SYMBOLS
The wanderer
The vampire
GOTHIC SYMBOLS
The wanderer
The vampire
The overreacher
GOTHIC SYMBOLS
They represent:
-> Rejection of limits and constraints
GOTHIC SYMBOLS
They represent:
-> Rejection of limits and constraints
-> Interest in intense feelings
GOTHIC SYMBOLS
They represent:
-> Rejection of limits and constraints
-> Interest in intense feelings
->Concern with the exploration of forbidden, denied areas.
They all represent figures of individualists who are not satisfied with the society they live in
They all represent figures of individualists who are not satisfied with
the society they live in
Their concern with the exploration of
forbidden knowledge or denied areas reflects the wish to go beyond
God, nature and human limits.
They all represent figures of individualists who are not satisfied with
the society they live in
Their concern with the exploration of
forbidden knowledge or denied areas reflects the wish to go beyond
God, nature and human limits.
They reject all constraints and
limits imposed by religious or social
laws
CONSTANT FEATURESOF
GOTHIC NOVELS
SETTING
SETTING
Ancient settings: isolated castles, mysterious abbeys, hidden
passages, secret rooms Catholic countries (Protestant
prejudice)
CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS
Supernatural beings: vampires, monsters, ghosts Heroines stricken with terror and
persecutedTerrifying male characters victim of
their negative impulses with no command over them
PLOT
PLOT
very complicated, associated with mysterious elements
Exaggerated reactions of the characters to mysterious situations or events
ATMOSPHERE
ATMOSPHERE
Terrifying descriptions of ghosts/monsters Sense of mystery Great suspense
Most famous Gothic novels:
Most famous Gothic novels:
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Most famous Gothic novels:
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff
Most famous Gothic novels:
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff
The Monk by Matthew Lewis
Most famous Gothic novels:
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff
The Monk by Matthew Lewis
Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
FRANKENSTEIN
by Mary Shelley
Epistolary Novel
Epistolary Novel
Maybe the writer wanted to disguise her own voice as a
woman by hiding behind three male narrators
Narration of
Walton
to his sister
Narration of
Walton
to his sister
Narration of Frankensteinto Walton
Narration of
Walton
to his sister
Narration of Frankensteinto Walton
Narration ofMonster to
Frankenstein
CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS
Few characters => the most important are the three narrators
Captain WALTON
A double of Frankenstein
Captain WALTON
A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition
Captain WALTON
A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:
Captain WALTON
A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:
– NATURE seen as the embodiment of God
Captain WALTON
A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:
– NATURE seen as the embodiment of God– The longing for the North and travel towards
the unknown
Captain WALTON
A double of Frankenstein Manifesting the same ambition Characterised by Romantic elements:
– NATURE seen as the embodiment of God– The longing for the North and travel towards
the unknown– The wish for loneliness and pride in being
different.
Captain WALTON
Captain Walton tries to go beyond human limits
Captain WALTON
Captain Walton is punished in the end as all overreachers are:
his punishment is • the imprisonment of his ship in the ice
•The rebellion of the crew
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
He is an overreacher
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
He is an overreacher He wants to defeat death and create a spark
of life without woman’s participation
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
He is an overreacher He wants to defeat death and create a spark
of life without woman’s participation He breaks the rules and challenges God =>
Myth of Prometheus
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
He is an overreacher He wants to defeat death and create a spark
of life without woman’s participation He breaks the rules and challenges God =>
Myth of Prometheus He is hungry for knowledge – His ambition
to know the secrets of life leads him to damnation => Myth of Dr. Faust
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein wants to access forbidden knowledge
without considering the consequences of his actions
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein is punished in the end His punishment is:
• The murder of his beloved•His own death
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein and the monster are complementary:
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein and the monster are complementary:
– both suffer from a sense of alienation and isolation
Victor FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein and the monster are complementary:
– both suffer from a sense of alienation and isolation
– Both begin with a desire to be good but become obsessed with hate and revenge
The MONSTER…
…becomes the protagonist in the third part of the novel
The MONSTER…
… is an intelligent being
The MONSTER
He is an intelligent being His natural sensibility is hurt by the
repulsion and terror he produces
The MONSTER
He is an intelligent being His natural sensibility is hurt by the
repulsion and terror he produces He represents a deviation from the rule – a
deviation from the forces of good.
The MONSTER
He is an intelligent being His natural sensibility is hurt by the
repulsion and terror he produces He represents a deviation from the rule – a
deviation from the forces of good. He becomes an outcast, a murderer and a
rebel against every human being
THEMES
THEMES
Forbidden knowledge
THEMES
The overreacher
THEMES
The overreacher– In the characters of Walton and Doctor Frankenstein
=> they both try to overcome human limits
THEMES
The double:
THEMES
The double:– Doctor Frankenstein and the monster are two
aspects of the same being => anticipating the double identity of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde
THEMES
Usurping the female role:
THEMES
Usurping the female role:– The creation of human beings becomes
possible without the participation of women
THEMES
Penetrating Nature’s secrets:
THEMES
=>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period
=>
THEMES
Penetrating Nature’s secrets: =>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period
=> Desire of the Romantics to penetrate Nature’s secrets related to the theme of the overreacher
THEMES
Penetrating Nature’s secrets: =>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period=> Desire of the Romantics to penetrate Nature’s secrets related to the theme of the overreacherLimits and dangers of scientific research
THEMES
Penetrating Nature’s secrets: =>Scientific research connected to the development of science in the period=> Desire of the Romantics to penetrate Nature’s secrets related to the theme of the overreacherLimits and dangers of scientific research The novel is considered a forerunner of science fiction
THEMES
Social injustice - the monster is good in his inside
THEMES
Social injustice - the monster is good in his inside - he becomes evil only because of the humiliations and
injustices he has suffered => OUTCAST of society
THEMES
Education and experience:
THEMES
Education and experience:
=> represented by the monster’s intellectual and emotional development
The novel is only partly Gothic….
…because it is not set in a Gothic castle
The novel is only partly Gothic….
…because it is not set in a Gothic castle
It does not deal with supernatural events
The novel is only partly Gothic….
…because it is not set in a Gothic castle
It does not deal with supernatural events
It deals with a scientific experiment and the horror derived from the unexpected outcome
The Gothic element is to be found ….
…in the description of the parts of the corpse which make up the monster,
The Gothic element is to be found ….
…in the description of the parts of the corpse which make up the monster,
The dreadful setting
The Gothic element is to be found ….
…in the description of the parts of the corpse which make up the monster
The dreadful setting
The emotional atmosphere
FRANKENSTEINby mary Shelley
BE WARNED !