Poe, Gothic Romanticism, and the GrotesqueAmerican Literature

ENGLISH IIIMs. Trevathan

Who is Edgar Allan Poe?

Born 1809, Boston, MA

Died 1849, Baltimore, MD

Published poems, reviews, stories, novels, and worked as an editor.

Considered “a gifted, but socially unacceptable writer” whose reputation was tainted by his personal difficulties.

What makes it Goth-Rom?

Some combination of the following elements:

Castles or old, decrepit houses, could be haunted �

Dungeons, subterranean passageways, basements, attics �

Dark corridors, winding stairways �

Flickering lights, candles, moonlight �

Extreme landscapes �

Omens or curses �

Maidens in distress �

Villain or madmen �

Magic or supernatural manifestations�

American Gothic Romanticism:

These writings create feelings of gloom, mystery, terror, suspense and fear as they seek to explore humanity’s dark side and arouse questions in mankind about good vs. evil, the role of the supernatural, the experience of fear or terror, and others.

Gothic Characteristics

• Grotesque or abnormal characters

• Bizarre situations

• Violent events• Suspenseful

elements

Grotesque means:

characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature.

departing markedly from the natural, the expected, or the typical.

very strange or ugly in a way that is not normal or natural.

extremely different from what is expected or usual.

Terms to Know…

• Suspense• Dramatic technique that plays

off the difference in knowledge between the audience and the characters

• Thrives on tension build up• Not equal to surprise—why

not?

Ways to deepen suspense• Clues (symbols)• Journals, diaries, notes, pictures• Dreams• Foreshadow future events• Show characters’ deepest fears• Five Senses• Sound effects• Imagery• Weather• Match or contrast characters’

moods, feelings

More terms to know:

• Foreshadowing• Literary device in which an author

suggests what will come later in the story

• Symbolism• Representation of something else

through an object, person, or place.• Imagery• Representation of a sense through

language• Sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch

Poe as Master of Gothic Form

Edgar Allan Poe’s legacy• Originator of the detective

story• Founder of the short story• Poetic pioneer• Explored human psychology

from the inside; profound explorer of the torments of the human soul

• Personal difficulties helped to characterize him as tragic figure

• Used first-person narrators who were sometimes criminal or insane