Concetti Chiave
- In the second half of the 18th century, literature shifted towards humble subjects and nature, moving away from neoclassical themes.
- Thomas Gray and Robert Burns were prominent poets who celebrated simple, natural country scenes and the lives of ordinary people.
- The Gothic novel emerged as a new form of Romanticism, characterized by intricate plots and a blend of realism and legend.
- Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" is considered the archetype of Gothic fiction, set in a medieval Italian castle.
- Gothic novels are known for their sinister atmosphere, supernatural elements, and typically feature a mysterious antagonist.
Interest in humble subjects
In the second half of the 18th century, there was an interest in humble subjects and an interest in nature.
The term "nature" began to acquire its modern connotation of external nature as opposed to its Augustan or neoclassical meaning. Poets began to describe natural country scenes in simple language.
Thomas Gray was the first to show a real nterest in the life of humble people.
Robert Burns was a poet who sang of elementary things such as love, music, country life.
Emergence of Gothic novels
The first sings of the new Romanticism can be found in the Gothic novel. Its archetypal work is The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. The novel is set in a old castle in medieval Italy, and it contains what will become the stock - and - trade of Gothic fiction:
- a complicated plot;
- a mixture of realistic details and legends;
- old ruins and night scenes;
- mistery and horror.
Some Gothic novels conlcuded whit a rational explanation of their mysteries.
Gothic novels are set in picturesque sceneries, generally Italian, wich contribute to the suspance. They are characterized by a sinister, gloomy atmosphere and supernatural events, and their main characters are usually an evil or a mysterious man who persecutes a young, beautiful and innocent girl: they are the protagonist of very complicated plots.
Domande da interrogazione
- What shift in literary themes occurred in the second half of the 18th century?
- What are the defining characteristics of Gothic novels, and which work is considered archetypal?
During this period, there was a growing interest in humble subjects and nature, with poets like Thomas Gray and Robert Burns focusing on simple, natural scenes and the lives of ordinary people.
Gothic novels are characterized by complicated plots, a mix of realistic details and legends, old ruins, night scenes, mystery, horror, and supernatural events. "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole is considered the archetypal Gothic novel.
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