Concetti Chiave
- Gothic novels emerged in Great Britain in the late 18th century as a reaction to the Enlightenment, critiquing social inequities and industrialization.
- They are characterized by themes of mystery, darkness, horror, and the sublime, often set in isolated, ancient locations like castles and abbeys.
- Settings in Gothic novels create fear and tension, often occurring at night to enhance the atmosphere of mystery, oppression, and gloom.
- The plot typically features a hero or heroine victim, a villain, and a savior, following a consistent narrative structure.
- The Gothic novel was popularized by "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole, influencing romantic writers and maintaining its appeal over time.
Gothic Novel:
What are the origins and social context?
Gothic remind us to the idea of something of wild,barbarian,instinctive,rough..
Gothic novels born in G. Britain in the second half of the 18th century (from about 1760 to 1820) and reflected the social contest characterized by disillusionment with the Enlightenment and rationality. G.Novel was addressed to all state of society,was the product of social inequity , a reaction against industrialization. Was a critique against social problems, description of fallen and materialistic world.
Characteristics and setting
Gothic novel were characterized by the taste for the strange and mysterious, darkness and horror.
The concept of SUBLIME linked to something of obscure,magnificent,to the idea of power,horror and loudness influenced the Gothic novel.
The setting (place and time) invokes the atmosphere of Horror and fear. Tipical setting place are: isolated and ancient castle, mysterious abbey, convents, secrets rooms, trap door .. also supernatural setting,that increase the emotion of fears,terror and pity in characters and readers.
The most important situations take place at night because darkness is a powerful element used to create an atmosphere of mystery ,oppression and gloom.
Plot and typical structure
Gothic novels are based on topic situation, cliché . the plot follow always the same scheme:
-there is always a protagonist (hero/heroine victim),
-there is always a villains who conspire against him/her,
-there is always an hero who saves the protagonist.
The first Gothic novel was the Castle of Otranto by Horace Wapole.
→the popularity of it was destined to continued in time finding imitators in many countries and periods even taking up different trends. The aspect of the fantastic and supernatural ,the sense of mystery, the challenge of the unknown and anguish enjoy vast popularity and found an ideal background in romantic writers who tried to react to the cold age of reason.
Domande da interrogazione
- What social factors contributed to the emergence of the Gothic novel in Great Britain?
- What are the typical settings and themes found in Gothic novels?
- What is the typical plot structure of a Gothic novel?
The Gothic novel emerged in the second half of the 18th century as a reaction to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment and rationality. It addressed social inequity and critiqued industrialization, reflecting a society disenchanted with the materialistic world.
Gothic novels are characterized by settings that evoke horror and fear, such as isolated castles, mysterious abbeys, and supernatural environments. Themes include the sublime, darkness, and the mysterious, often taking place at night to enhance the atmosphere of mystery and gloom.
Gothic novels typically follow a plot structure involving a protagonist (hero/heroine victim), a villain who conspires against them, and a hero who ultimately saves the protagonist. This structure, first popularized by Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto," has been imitated across various countries and periods.
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