The document discusses the origins and key elements of Gothic literature. It begins by explaining that the term "Gothic" was originally used to describe the Goths, a Germanic tribe. Over time, the term was applied to the architecture of the Middle Ages, which resembled the Goths' buildings. Centuries later, Gothic novels emerged that were set in these medieval structures. Common tropes of Gothic novels included ominous castle settings, mysteries, supernatural events, distressed damsels, and tyrannical males threatening women. Emotions such as fear, sorrow, surprise and anger were also frequently depicted through Gothic metonymies and descriptions.

1. By Myriam Miller

2.  The term Gothic can refer to
many things:
 Style of Art such as novels, paintings,
architecture and even music and its fans.
 The term “gothic” was used because of
the art’s resemblance to the Goths and
their way of life and their language.
(De Vore et al, 1)

3.  One of the many Germanic Tribes who
fought battles against the Roman
Empire.
 Goths originated in southern Sweden
and were led by their king Berig to
the shore of the Baltic Sea where
they split into two separate groups:
 Visigoths (the west Goths)
 Ostrogoths (the east Goths)
(De Vore et al, 1)

4.  After the Goths’ history faded into that of
the countries they conquered, many years
had to pass before the reference was
made by the Europeans. The Europeans
rediscovered the Greco-Roman culture and
began calling the architecture made in the
Middle Ages as “gothic”. This was because
of how barbaric the buildings looked.
 Centuries had to pass before the reference
to gothic novels appeared. This was
because the gothic novels were set in these
barbaric buildings that were made in the
Middle Ages such as mansions, castles and
abbeys.
(De Vore et al, 1)

5.  Gothic literature falls into the category
of the Romantic literature. It emerged in
England from 1790 to 1830.
 It is based on the petrifying writing that
can be dated back to the Middle Ages.
(De Vore et al, 2) Google
images

6.  Castle Setting:
 A gothic novel can take place in an abandoned or
occupied castle that has secret passages, trap doors,
secret rooms, dark or hidden passageways, some of
the castle can also be in ruins.
 An Atmosphere of mystery and suspense:
 The plot of a novel can be built around a mystery
and involves a feeling of terror or an enhanced fear
of the unknown.
 An Ancient prophecy:
 This prophecy could be associated with either the
castle itself or the characters; it could be “obscure,
partial or confusing.”
 Omens, portents, visions:
 This could include a character having a dream vision.
(Harris, 1)

7.  Supernatural or inexplicable events:
 Can contain ghosts walking, giants walking, or innate
objects coming to life.
 High, even overwrought emotion:
 The narration of the story can be very emotional
and the characters can be overwhelmed by anger,
sorrow, surprise and of course terror.
 Damsel in distress:
 Just like in any fairytale, there is always a woman
who needs rescuing from an overbearing male. The
women can experience many negative emotions and is
usually the “center of attention” of the novel.
 Woman threatened by a powerful, impulsive,
tyrannical male:
 This could mean that a dominate male such as a king,
lord of the castle, father or guardian could be the
reason of the damsel’s distress.
(Harris, 1&2)

8. “Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in
which something (like rain)is used to stand
for something else (like sorrow)” (Harris,
•Metonymies for “doom and gloom”:
2). Wind (especially howling) Rain (especially
blowing)
Doors grating on rusty hinges Sighs, moans,
howls, eerie sounds
Footsteps approaching Clanking chains
Lights in abandoned room Gusts of
wind blowing out lights
Characters trapped in a room Doors
suddenly slamming shut
Ruins of a building Baying of distant

9. Mystery Diabolical, enchantment, magic,
omens, prophecy, secret, spirits,
strangeness, vision, talisman
Fear, Terror Agony, despair, frantic, fright,
horror, shrieks, terrified,
dreading, anguish, dismay
Sorrow Melancholy, miserable,
mournfully, tears, unhappy,
wretched
Surprise Alarm, amazement, astonished,
shocking, thunderstruck, wonder
Haste Anxious, flight, frantic,
impatience, running, sudden,
impetuosity, precipitately
Anger Choler, enraged, furious, fury,
incense, provoked, rage, raving,
resentment, temper, wrath
(Harris, 3)

10.  “Presentation of the unpresentable”
 It is said that Gothic novels helps readers
understand feelings and other ideas
through horror.
 Having to struggle for happiness, it is a
metaphor for having to endure the
different obstacles in reality.
 These struggles are the “focal point” of a
Gothic novel, so it seems.
(De Vore et al, 3)

11.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
 Dracula by Bram Stoker
 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis
Stevenson
 Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
 The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
 The Raven and other Poems by Edgar Allen
Pope
 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jaskon
 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

12. "Best Gothic Books Of All Time." Best Gothic Books Of All Time (190 Books). Good
Reads, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1230.Best_Gothic_Books_Of_All_Time>.
De Vore, David, Anne Domenic, Alexandra Kwan, and Nicole Reidy. "The Gothic
Novel."The Gothic Novel. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-
sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html>.
Harris, Robert. "Elements of the Gothic Novel." Elements of the Gothic Novel. Virtual
Salt, 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm>.