Your exam unit for the A2 course will cover 3 or 4 texts from the Gothic genre. Before studying Angela Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber', it is important you have some understanding of what we mean when we talk about 'the Gothic'. Read David Punter's emagazine article on the subject here.
Mr Sadgrove,
ReplyDeleteI have read the article and have made notes on it. I was wondering if we could look more into the origins and the history of Goths as it would really help me with my AO4 and, so far, it sounds very interesting.
Also, where in Gothic literature do they show a struggle between gender roles?
The article (which i have read and understood) helped a great deal as it gave me (and hopefully others) a greater understanding of what 'THE' Gothic is and why its present. It helped create a clear contrast in my mind between the typical assosiations when thinking of 'Goth' from 'Goth people' and 'black lipstick' etc. to 'The Gothic' being a variety of texts, motifs, moods, etc. Hopefully this wider knowledge on the Gothic genre will contribute to the further study of the texts.
ReplyDeleteDear Big Daddy Bad Grove!
ReplyDeleteI have read through the article. i have also printed it off so that i may annotate it to stick into my book. i would hope that we could look into popular gothic characters such count dracula and possibly some more modern figures such as freddy kruger to be able to give comparisons between both modern and classic gothic figures (possibly AO4). time well spent :-)
The Article is really useful, The ideas it gives on different aspects of what makes a piece of text or media Gothic is really interesting. Looking into other popular Gothic characters would also be worthwhile and certainly interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe article is very interesting and i have made notes on it. This should help in writing A04 sections of the answers.
ReplyDeleteHey sir... I have read the article and there are two things which i find really interesting about this genre: Firstly the fact that a major motif is "the idea of somebody defenceless exposed to tyranny and loss" - like the innocence and lack of control which really stood out to me in the extract and pictures in class. Also Freuds view on the unconscious as "that place in the mind from which nothing ever goes away" and the use of inner fears and dreams/nightmares. I would like to look into these ideas some more.
ReplyDeleteShenice said...
ReplyDelete"A very insightful account. It gave me the ability to distinguish between 'terror' and 'horror' but made me realise that FEAR is a central component in the 'Gothic'. Fread's theory on the unconscious and figures arising from the psychological past as well as feminist theory on the motif of the castle being womens constrainment of a domestic sphere were also very interesting."
Hey Sir,
ReplyDeleteI read the article, and found out the history of where gothic came from (i am hoping that this will help in my A04). I also found out that you cannot define gothic to a pinpoint or a certain definition and that its better to think of it in "terms of certain key cultural and literay oppositions" for example the supernatural VS the natural.... :)
I think that the article was very helpfull and gave me a good understanding of the Gothic theme
ReplyDeleteLearning more about the Gothic theme I found interesting as I didn't realise there was so much ideas and concepts incorporated under one umbrella. Even after all of this, there is still no clear or definite idea about what the subject of 'Gothic' really is.. it will be interesting to look more into this and make up our own judgements.
ReplyDeleteHaving read the article i feel that the Gothic genre will be an intresting side to literature seeing as it has so many sides to it and isnt so straight forward. The idea of defining it under motifs is a very good outlook of it.
ReplyDeleteThe Gothic genre shows how literature and the genre in itself can be open to so many interpretations. I think studying it will open doors to interpretations that I possibly wouldn't have thought about before.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article I understand the Gothic in more detail. The theme centres around fear and is categorised and defined in many different ways, the key component for the gothic is fear but the reasons for and definition of the genre are open to interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI found the article very interesting as it provides an extensive insight into the definition of Goth/Gothic and its roots.
ReplyDeleteI think the links to poets such as Edgar Allen Poe and William Blake are amazing considering they are personal favorites and I also noticed that early submissions to the Gothic genre have influenced future ideas, such as Richard Marsh's "The Beetle" clearly has a heavy influence over Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" showing similarities in shape shifting; I also think that it would be very interesting to study the Gothic genres influences over modern day media and literature.
one of the main features of gothism,is the indulgence of passion: sexual desires explored in it's most bizarre manner.
ReplyDeleteI found the article very useful, and interesting as I like the fact that there is not one clear definition of gothic. I also found it useful to read about the different interpretations of gothic and about the history of gothic as a popular genre.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to read more about the modern interpretations of gothic, as they would be more relatable interpretations.
Sylvia said: after exstensively studying the article, I have developed a deeper understanding concerning the origins of the 'Gothic genre'
ReplyDeleteCarlo Thinks this is a good essay and he enjoyed learning about how the gothic genre has evolved over time from its origins to modern day literature. The typical motifs and psychological aspects of the genre about terror and horror combines is the most interetsing for me
ReplyDeleteFernando-aKa__v@t0__
ReplyDeleteThere were many doubts as to what is gothic and what it means, after carefully going through and reading the texts i develop a better understanding of the word gothic, from what i understand, the word gothic sorrounds mysterious events and gloomy settings.
It gave me a much deeper understanding of the Gothic genre, examples of the Gothic, and where it arrived from.
ReplyDeleteMr Sadgrove...Bit late.. But
ReplyDeleteI like I said I read the article and could'nt do this post...
I personally enjoy reading Gothic Literature because it plays with the readers psychological state of mind and distorts it from its natural state of equilibrium. This is achieved because of the enigmatic Motives of the antagonist.
Is it possible if we could look at - History of the Caliph Vathek by William Beckford..as I was told by a relative it gives the reader a fascination with, and fear, of the east. (I personally would enjoy this and help my understanding of Gothic literature develop)
PS: Oh badgrove its shaun !
This article gave an understanding of the various types of the term 'gothic'. For some it might suggest the sub-culture of mysteriously dressed to emphasise the inner negative feelings and horror, whereas for others it might be an art which 'looked back to the great English medieval cathedrals' and this period of time. It would include the sense of fear which would lead the reader through out the story. Also, Feminists argue that 'gothic' genre is mainly used to emphasise the suffering of the females and to signify the gender inequality in our society. This would provide a more vivid image of man-made life-styles. For this reason, in my opinion the concept of 'gothic' helps to show many different views of the world to the rest of the society even though it may be used differently.
ReplyDeleteGiselene Said
ReplyDeleteThe article gave me a deep inside view to what Gothis really means. For example when asked to write in class about what gothic meant I wrote about the genre and how the style can have a twist to it. But after reading the article and being infomed of the differnet terms in which the word 'gothic' applies too I feel I understand that concept of 'Gothic' more then before.