Week One: revolution, art and science

1. Week One: revolution, art and science

2. What is gothic? This term, we are going to explore the gothic genre in preparation for a novel reading next term. In order to explore the genre, we need to understand what it is, what it is not, and what influenced it in the first place. There are a number of workstations; draw six boxes into your book and bullet point information from each station that will help you to answer the following questions: What influenced Gothic literature? What is Gothic literature?

3. Artwhat do these gothic images have common? What ideas are repeated?

4. Architecture The Gothic grew out of the Romanesque architectural style. Several significant cathedrals and churches were built, particularly in Britain and France, offering architects and masons a chance to work out ever more complex and daring designs. One element of the Gothic style of architecture is the pointed arch, creating a sinister effect. Religious buildings that were of a Gothic design also included terrifying or grotesque gargoyles (statues) on the eaves of the building rooftops, staring over you as you walk!

5. French revolution The French Revolution was a period of time in France when the people overthrew the monarchy and took control of the government. The Storming of the Bastille Signals the Beginning of the French Revolution. The French Revolution lasted 10 years from 1789 to 1799. It began on July 14, 1789 when revolutionaries stormed a prison called the Bastille. Troops scoured the countryside burning villages in an effort to expose traitors, while government officials frequently executed any people possibly “an enemy of the Revolution,” leading to the highest percentage of executions during the revolution to one ten-month period known as The Terror. It was also known as, ‘universal panic.’ People of the Revolution were seen as dangerous because they had new ideas! The Revolution helped to create the Gothic genre in England. Catholic religion was being questioned and sparked huge riots during the ten year period. Here’s a news story from 17989 to report the end of the Revolution:

6. science As religion was being questioned, using science to prove ideas was becoming more fascinating, especially as people looked into ways of avoiding death. “Galvanism” can be defined as the effect of the application of electric current pulses through body tissues that causes muscle contraction.  Late in the 18th century, Scientist Luigi Galvani, who was experimenting on dissected frogs, mistakenly touched a brass rod to a steel scalpel making a clear contraction of muscle in an otherwise dead frog.  He believed that this form of electricity, which he called “animal electricity”, was a form of energy that was still being held in the animal’s tissue and that perhaps, bringing people back from the dead was possible! Today, scientists are aware that it is not in fact an electrical fluid streaming from the brain that makes the animal twitch but instead just the effect of the joining of two metals and their electrical charges.

7. evolution Author: Charles Darwin 1809-1882 Darwin kept silent for 20 years before going public and was only half joking when he described writing his book 'On the Origin of Species' as 'like confessing a murder’. Darwin published his theory of evolution; it would become one of the most important books ever written. Darwin described writing it as like 'living in Hell'. Charles received fierce criticism from the Church, and from some parts of the press. Many people were shaken by the book's key idea: that instead of God, the idea that human beings were descended from apes, although Darwin only hinted at it. It made us fascinated and horrified by science; Shelley included Darwin as one of her inspirations for Frankenstein, a gothic tale where a man creates a monster made from the limbs and organs of people stolen from graves.

8. What is it not? Gothic elements include the following: Setting in a castle/haunted house. The castle often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections. 2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense. Often the plot itself is built around a mystery, such as unknown parentage, a disappearance. 3. An ancient prophecy is connected with the castle/house or its inhabitants (either former or present). The prophecy is usually confusing or mysterious: "It's said that the ghost of old man Krebs still wanders these halls." 5. Supernatural characters or events. Werewolves, ghosts, vampires feature in gothic writing. Dramatic, amazing events occur, such as ghosts or giants walking, or objects (such as a suit of armour or painting) coming to life. ISN’T THIS JUST HORROR? NO! Horror is far more obvious than gothic when it comes to being scary. Neil Gaiman, writer of the Graveyard book and Coraline says: The difference between gothic and horror, again, it's mood. Horror wants to scare you. Horror wants to creep you out. Horror is all blood and gore.Gothic, for me, it's all about mood. The mood is misty. Things are ominous. Things move very slowly. The idea is you are dislocating the world that the person viewing it is living in and taking them to somewhere subtly more menacing.There is no random chaos and slaughter in a gothic, from my perspective.

9. What is gothic literature?What inspired gothic literature? Use a different colour pen to underline/ highlight the key parts of your boxes to help you to answer one of the questions above. Gothic literature is….. Features of gothic literature include… This genre can be recognised by…… Gothic literature was written because…. Another event that influenced gothic was…. I think people enjoyed gothic literature because…

11. What makes us scared? Children? Adults? What makes us scared when we are: Teenagers? In general?

12. What is gothic literature? Write your own ten word definition, based upon your notes last lesson. What is it not?

13. The Woman in Black- is this gothic? Watch the trailer based on Susan Hill’s novel: Questions to consider: -What gothic elements can you see in the trailer? -Even though written more recently, why has Hill decided to write this as a gothic novel? -What is it about The Gothic that intrigues and entertains readers and cinema-goers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lReemWmO5o

14. How might this fit the “gothic genre”? Questions to consider: -What ideas are used that seem gothic? -Which language choices seem more mysterious? -How does the first person narration develop the sense of mystery? Let’s highlight and annotate together

15. How might this fit the “gothic genre”? Questions to consider: • Use of the weather to create a particular mood • Darkness and mystery • Particular verbs to build a sense of something supernatural • Entrapment or claustrophobia Let’s highlight and annotate together

16. Susan hill’s top tips: • Use of the weather and time of day to reflect the mood • Create a sense of mystery through a feeling of being trapped or obscuring things • Precise selection of verbs • Describe the narrator’s feelings rather than revealing any immediate danger

17. Susan hill’s top tips: • Use of the weather and time of day to reflect the mood • Create a sense of mystery through a feeling of being trapped or obscuring things • Precise selection of verbs • Describe the narrator’s feelings rather than revealing any immediate danger How might we use these tips to write about walking around this room?

18. Bleak obscured they candle cemetery mist raven trapped decaying withered pale hunched creaked You have 10 minutes to write a description/short extract from a gothic story using AS MANY of these words and conventions of gothic fiction as possible… If you want to you can use the starter, ‘Obscuring the night’s light, the trees’ gnarled fingers clawed at the moon, warning it to stay away…’ Shriek fear house dread heartbeat Branches isolation gargoyle Silence anxiety twilight church howled

19. Bleak obscured they candle cemetery mist raven trapped decaying withered pale hunched creaked Swap stories with a partner and read their short extract. Highlight, in green, any phrases/sentences which demonstrate that your partner has used a gothic convention. Label and write in the margin what the convention is, just like we modelled on the board. Shriek fear house dread heartbeat Branches isolation gargoyle Silence anxiety twilight church howled