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GOTHIC -extract points (SETTING (Look for language techniques (AO2) to…
GOTHIC -extract points
NARRATIVE
Third person
Presents an omniscient narrator who is essentially watching over the characters
The reader is left unaware of the character's true emotions, or of any immediate threat : unease/tension
Linked to a frequent use of the passive voice (e.g. he stood) which implicitly suggests the weakness of the character
First person
Information is relied upon the narrator : this heightens the emotional response of the reader due to vicarious attachment
Created a confined, obsessive experience as the narrator imparts their own fear
The reader is left unaware of the surrounding danger due to story being narrated through the vulnerable main character
SETTING
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Visibility and the implications of darkness : suggests something lurking underneath the realm of existence known to man (supernatural) reflecting the reader's own sense of confusion
Gothic texts often stress the physicality of the environment with powerful imagery, stressing the insignificance of the character - links to the idea of the sublime
How Gothic writers attempt to manifest the thoughts and feelings of their characters in the surrounding atmosphere : externalisation of internal state. Look for dilapidated or broken settings
HOW TO ACHIEVE AN A*
Establish key Gothic concepts/themes
Use language and structure analysis to show this, always referring back to the effect on the reader
Include relevant contextual info - but not overwhelm (only 12.5%)
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE
Usually created in the middle of an extract, deliberate obscuration : the reader is left in the dark (compare this to the character's own state)
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TERROR
A term propagated by Ann Radcliffe (The Italian) : terror is primarily concerned with a greater psychological and intellectual response
Deals with the valorisation of the non-rational e.g. ghostly sounds, creaking doors, wild settings : therefore is aimed to create fear of the mind, or the possibilities that could arise by a whistling wind, for example. Comes from things that are not actually there
Analysis =
Phonological bonds between words (alliteration) can link 2 words with different meanings
Lexical (semantic) fields - creates an overpowering sense of something
Emphasis of an idea through repetition, juxtaposition, collocation (regular juxtaposition, not chance), contrast etc.
HORROR
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Much more physical than terror - leads to feelings of shock, revulsion and/or disgust
Analysis =
A lurking force (personification etc)
The associated bodily reaction that the horror elicits
The arresting nature of the experience, reflected in the character's inability to communicate their emotion e.g. paralysis
Loss of control/involuntary impacts e.g. shock, trembling etc
CONTEXT
Enlightenment
Period of rationality, Gothic texts can be seen as a reaction to this complacency and lack of exhilaration
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Second wave Gothic
Intricately linked to the aestheticism of the Victorian era, connection to deep psychological fears (Freud)
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Persecution of women in Gothic novels was often a metaphor for the oppressive patriarchy evident in society