Something a Bit Creepy for the Summer...
Pre-AP 9 -- Summer Reading
The Gothic Tradition
[Excerpt from David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear: The Nightmare Formula of Edgar Allan Poe (Lantham, MD:
University Press of America, 1980), pp.27-28.]
The Gothic tradition...had its origins in 1764 with the publication of Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto.
Though no one has yet offered a concise definition of gothic literature, there are several characteristics
that distinguish it from other modes of writing. These characteristics belong to all gothic works:
1.
there is a victim who is helpless against his
torturer;there is also a victimizer who is
associated with evil and whose powers are
immense or supernatural;
2.
the setting of the gothic story is at some point
within impenetrable walls (physical or
psychological) to heighten the victim's sense
of hopeless isolation--the central gothic image
is the cathedral or haunted mansion within
which the victim is imprisoned;
3.
the atmosphere is pervaded by a sense of
mystery, darkness, oppressiveness, fear, and
doom to recreate the atmosphere of a crypt--a
symbol of man's spiritual death and a "vehicle
for presenting a picture of man as eternal victim"; and finally,
4.
the victim is in some way entranced or fascinated by the inscrutable power of his victimizer.
All the works listed below are available on-line on the Pre-AP 9 webpage (Class File & Links;
Summer Reading). If you do not have access to the internet, see me about other arrangements.
Read the following works.
-Poetry:
“The Raven” - Edgar Allan Poe
“When the Night Wind Howls” “A Noiseless, Patient Spider” -Short Story:
“Most Dangerous Game” - Richard Connell
“A Rose for Emily” - William Faulkner
“Cask of Amontillado” - Edgar Allan Poe
Follow the instructions on back for each blog entry.
Something a Bit Creepy for the Summer...
Pre-AP 9 -- Summer Reading
Blog 1 - Due June 30, 2013
1. Paraphrase “A Noiseless Patient Spider.”
2. Explain how, though filled with rather grisly imagery (‘From grey tombstones are gathered the
bones/ That once were women and men,...), “When the Night Wind Blows” creates and
maintains a light-hearted and/or flippant tone.
3. Identify three (3) images from “The Raven”; identify the type of image
(which sense); and explain how the image contributes to the tone of the poem (make sure
you identify the tone, using the list of tone words).
Blog 2 - Due July 30, 2013
For each short story, choose three (3) characteristics of the Gothic tradition and relate them
to each short story, using textual examples to support your ideas. Make sure you explain
your answers.
**Note: You do NOT have to use the same characteristic 3 times.