Sujet de littérature OIB: Gothic literature

« The use and effects of setting in G writing : INTRO Gothic literature = developped during romantic period ("darker current of romanticism?"), with an admiration for Middle Ages and its gothic architecture (architecture is important).

Gothic : archaic forms, rfces to architecture (abbeys, churches, manors, graveyards): a gothic novel's setting & location are usually essential parameter (a lonely mansion, an eerie castle, deep woodlands, graveyards → strong connections with loneliness/ isolation/ being shut off from potential sources of aid & support).

=> The readers understand that if anything terrible happens (which happens frequently in gothic literature), the characters will struggle to find aid (help will be slow to arrive or may not come at all).

Therefore, the suspense and tension continue to develop, leaving the reader on tenterhooks. 1) What are the use of settings in G writing ? → often isolated location & in a restricted area = far from help in case of danger/ threat ex : Frankenstein : when VF rejoins the monster on the Mont Blanc on his own → the creature could push him/ he might fall from the cliff/ the monster could strangle him bc he is > powerful) + settings often take place in decaying locations (often linked to the past as abbeys, churches, ancient manors or castles,…) ex : A sicilian romance : it takes place in a manor/ castle that has the whole south part being forbidden and in decay with Nature taking advantage of it → presence of sublime : this is an idea that combines both beauty and fear bc of the grandeur of a setting (Nature) → this is widely used to describe the vastness & grandeur of Nature ex : Frankenstein : chap 10 + pathetic fallacy = when the feelings & emotions of a cha are linked to the weather : ex : the huge storm when VF saw the monster for the first time after this last killed VF’s little brother → place of eerie (enchantment/ irreal & surnatural) → cha not being themselves/ as if they were drugged or empoisonned by someone else (the threat) → therefore they do not have the power to decide/ control over their actions &.... »