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Dr. Heidegger's Experiment. Nathaniel Hawthorne. n old friend. Deeply allegorical writer. Hawthorne wrote about many Gothic themes. Literature. Literature is like music There are certain “go to” techniques for the “artist” to reach his/her desired effect.
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Dr. Heidegger's Experiment Nathaniel Hawthorne
n old friend • Deeply allegorical writer. • Hawthorne wrote about many Gothic themes.
Literature • Literature is like music • There are certain “go to” techniques for the “artist” to reach his/her desired effect.
Six Traits of Gothicism • 1. Gothic Architecture • 2. Dark Colors/Imagery • 3. Supernatural
Six Traits of Gothicism • 4. The Dark Side of the Individual • 5. Mental/Emotional Anguish • 6. Allegory/Symbolism • How do these traits work in a story?
Objectives • 1. Share and discuss your examples • 2. Analyze each trait’s effectiveness • 3. Discover what these traits bring to a story.
Architecture • Student responses:
Architecture • Creepy laboratory (many quotes about it) • “Dr. Heidegger's study must have been a very curious place. It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs, and besprinkled with antique dust” • What does this do for the story?
Dark Imagery • Student responses:
Dark Imagery Some items carry dark imagery. • The book • Black ebony table • Red rose (black and red again)
Dark Imagery • "My dear widow, you are charming!" cried Colonel Killigrew, whose eyes had been fixed upon her face…like darkness from the crimson daybreak.” (p. 378) • “Their eyes grew clear and bright; a dark shade deepened among their silvery locks: (p. 379) • How is Hawthorne using this trait?
Supernatural • Student responses
Supernatural • Magical water • Mysterious mirror • The folio (book of magic) • What do these things do for the story?
Dark Side of the Individual • Student responses
Dark Side of the Individual • Mr. Gascoigne was a ruined politician, a man of evil fame • Fighting guests (“Hands on throats”) • What do these things do for the story? • How might this trait be working differently than the previous 3?
Mental/Emotional Anguish • Student responses
Mental/Emotional Anguish • Loss and gain (and loss) of youth. • Hawthorne loved this one! • What’s different about what we gain from examples of this trait?
Theme • Complicated themes are being revealed: • Impossibility of earthly perfection • Loss of innocence • Can’t have youth and wisdom (Zack R)
Mental/Emotional Anguish • Another theme of this story is that a person’s character, once developed does not change over time, and when faced with conflict and adversity, his/her true character becomes boldly evident. - www.classicreader.com
Allegory/Symbolism • Student responses
Allegory/Symbols • The Mirror = Failure • The Rose = Bride, Youth and natural balance, wisdom of age, the inevitability of death.
Allegory • The bride’s portrait = Failure, mistakes of youth • The magic book = ??? (strong forces, moral stability)
Allegory • Dr. Heidegger = God figure? • The Guests = Lust, Greed, Vanity, Lies, Anti-Progress
Other symbols • The butterfly • The skeleton • The fountain of youth • The table
In summary • The traits help: • Create a mood/atmosphere • Develop (darker) themes • Challenge the reader to interpret meaning
Two Questions: • 1. Was it real or a delusion? • On a scrap piece, answer the following: • 2. What is more valuable: • "Life is about having fun and having fun now" or live a quiet life, analyzing and correcting mistakes, with the aim to reach calm and happy life when you are old.