2. Gothic
• Have you heard the word ‘Gothic’ before?
• What do you think it means?
• With a partner, see if you can come up with a
definition
‘Gothic’ is……
Style of architecture prevalent in
western Europe in the 12th–16th
centuries (and revived in the mid 18th to
early 20th centuries)
Relating to a style of writing that
describes strange or frightening events
that take place in mysterious places.
3. Look at the following images and
brainstorm Gothic Literature:
Gothic Literature
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Activity: Creating a narrative
Look at the next series of images.
• Brainstorm interesting and effective words to
capture what it must be like to be in that
place.
• Think about the senses:
– what can you see?
– hear?
– smell?
– taste?
– touch / feel?
14. A) Jane leaned on the railing of
her apartment balcony, gazed
across the shiny, blue sea of the
bay, and sighed with happiness.
This was going to be the perfect
holiday. And best of all, there
would be no more Tom.
B) A sudden dark shadow swept
across the bright moon,
momentarily blocking out its
light. Sarah stumbled against a
gravestone that was leaning
towards the path like a cracked
and crooked tooth. An owl gave
a ghostly hoot.
C) Heath Manor finally rose into
view behind a line of dense,
gloomy fir trees. The closer we
got, the more it looked like a
brooding monster – battered and
bruised, but still menacing. A
fierce wind tugged at its broken
shutters.
D) I trembled. The storm was
raging, and my clothes clung to
my wet skin, weighing me down
like a guilty conscience. I knew
that I was as good as dead, even
before I walked up the gravel
path. As I walked up to the old
rain-soaked door…
15. 1. Setting in a castle.
2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense.
3. An ancient prophecy
4. Omens, portents, visions.
5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events.
6. High, even ‘over the top’ emotion.
7. Women in distress.
8. Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive,
tyrannical male.
9. The feeling of gloom and horror.
10. The vocabulary of the gothic.
16. Pick a picture of a gothic
setting. Imagine you were there
– describe what you would feel
see, taste, smell, hear.
18. Objective
• To produce a short piece of effective writing,
based on Henry Fuseli’s painting ‘The
Nightmare’
19. Painting as a Story
• Many Gothic writer’s were fascinated by
Henry Fuseli’s painting ‘The Nightmare’. In
your books:
20. Creative Writing
You are going to write about this picture, as if it is a scene from a
story. Here is what you need to do to achieve your target levels.
Look at your target level, is there anything that you don’t
understand?
22. Imagine that you have just entered the room….
• Write a paragraph describing the scene.
Remember to try and achieve your target
level.
• LOOK AT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!
23. Peer Assessment
• Working with your group, check each other’s
work.
• Look at their target level box
• Have they done enough to achieve their target
level
• What do they need to do to improve? Each
person should make a specific comment
