Edgar Allen Poe’s Use of the Gothic Genre to Create Mood

1. Edgar Allen Poe’s Use of the Gothic Genre to Create Mood Unit 1: The Literary Style of Edgar Allen Poe

2. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Gothic”? • > Do you think of the subculture? • > Like punks or hippies, goths are countercultural or anti-mainstream • > Which is the goth in the picture to the right?

3. More Goths

4. More Goths

5. Gothic Architecture • Or did you think of Gothic architecture? • Gothic architecture is the architecture of the Middle Ages, or Medieval period (from about the 400s to the 1500s) • It is most familiar to us as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and parish churches of Europe

6. Gothic Architecture

7. Gothic Castle • It is also the style of many castles, palaces, town halls, universities, and even homes.

8. Gothic Architecture in Art • Gothic architecture is known to have characteristics that appeal strongly to the emotions and imagination. • Therefore, it is commonly featured in paintings and other works of art.

9. More Gothic Architecture in Art

10. More Gothic Architecture in Art

11. The Original Goths • -Eastern Germanic tribe • -Played an important role in the fall of the western Roman Empire • -Probably originated in or near modern-day Sweden

12. So why use the word “Gothic” for the architecture? • Gothic architecture named “Gothic” after new “classical” style of architecture began to replace it (people during the Middle Ages did not call it Gothic) • During the Renaissance, people began to call Medieval architecture “Gothic” as an insult • They used the term “Gothic” to mean barbaric or unsophisticated, because that’s how they saw the Gothic people

13. The Gothic Revival • -By the late 1700s, however, people began to become nostalgic for the Middle Ages (they “missed” it, even though they weren’t alive for it). • -They became fascinated with medieval Gothic ruins. • This fascination was often combined with an interest in the supernatural.

14. The Gothic Revival • -The gothic novel of the late eighteenth century began with the 1764 publication of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole • -Other famous early gothic novels were Frankenstein and Dracula • -These novels featured the Medieval or Gothic architecture and supernatural events that people had become fascinated with

15. The Gothic Novel’s Legacy • The gothic novel established the common images of modern horror literature and film, such as graveyards, ruined castles or churches, ghosts, vampires, nightmares, cursed families, and being buried alive. • Henceforth, the term “Gothic” became associated with a mood of horror, morbidity, darkness and the supernatural.

16. Poe’s Use of Gothic Elements • About writing his short stories and poems, Poe said, “I prefer commencing with the consideration of an effect” (“Philosophy of Composition”). • This means that his goal in writing was to produce a certain effect in the reader, rather than to get a certain meaning across.

17. Mood • Part of the effect he wanted to get across was in the mood of his work • The Mood of a work of literature is the emotional atmosphere that the writer wants the reader to feel • In other words, it is the general feeling or emotion throughout a selection of literature, or throughout a work as a whole

18. Gothic elements to create mood • Poe wrote in the Gothic genre in order to create the effect he wanted to make in the reader • He wrote in the Gothic genre in order to create certain moods • He wrote in the Gothic genre because it included images such as graveyards that help create a certain mood.

19. Assignment • While reading Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” on page 25, take notes on the elements that make it a Gothic story and on the images and words that help create the mood of the story.