The document provides background information on Gothic fiction, including its origins stemming from the Gothic tribes that invaded the Roman Empire. It discusses key conventions of Gothic literature such as sinister settings, supernatural elements, and themes of conflict between good and evil. Examples are given of prominent Gothic novels from the 18th-19th centuries. The summary then shifts to discussing Neil Gaiman's short story "Feeders and Eaters", with a brief plot synopsis focusing on the narrator's meeting with Eddie and learning of his unfortunate dealings with his mysterious neighbor Ms. Corvier. Elements of mystery, darkness, and an unreliable narrator are noted.

1. GOTHIC FICTION Feeders and Eaters by Neil Gaiman

2. “ Gothic” derives from “Goth” Goth - the name of one of the barbaric Germanic tribes that invaded the Roman Empire

3. Gothic Fiction – Origin of “Goth” A term applied to Germanic tribes who raided southern Europe from 376-410 CE. Originally applied to medieval architecture. Not following classical ideals.

4. Gothic vs. Gothic Gothic (Middle Ages) Fleeting, nomadic, unsophisticated, uncultured tribes that invaded Europe. Gothic (19 th Century) Substantial, light, airy, tall cathedrals or structures. Man may rise to the contemplation of the diving through the sensed ” and also “the churchgoer would be transported from this inferior world to that higher world.” Which gothic do we mean when we are talking about Gothic Fiction?

5. Gothic Fiction Incorporates themes of eternal conflict and importance to the human condition - relationships, gender, patriarchy, nostalgia, and the sublime. Forces the reader to engage it on its own terms, and not those of social and cultural conditioning. Defies categorization and explanation!

6. Conventions of Gothic Literature Horror and Romance Sinister settings Extreme landscapes etc. Elements of supernatural. Stimulation of fear, horror, and macabre

7. Gothic Characters Villains, tyrants, maniacs Madwomen, femme fatales, persecuted maidens Byronic Heroes

10. Castle of Otranto – Horace Walpole, 1764 Frankenstein – Mary Shelley, 1818 Dracula – Bram Stoker, 1897 The Shining – Stephen King, 1977 Some Examples of Gothic Literature

11. Gothic Movies Sweeney Todd Underworld Jennifer’s body Jane Eyre Insidious Panic Button

12. From Sources “ The Gothic themes of human nature's depravity, the struggle between good and evil in the human soul, and the existence of unexplainable elements in humanity and the cosmos, are prominent themes in many of the works in this genre.” "A journey into the 'darker' side of life; a world of pain and destruction, fear and anxiety which shadows the daylight world of love and ethereality.”

13. Gothic Genre Realism with a hint of horror with some supernatural events Pictures the human condition as an ambiguous mixture of good and evil powers that cannot be understood completely by human reason a dilemma of duality — humans are divided in the conflict between opposing forces in the world and in themselves It is usually filled with morals

14. Feeders and Eaters by Neil Gaiman

15. Plot Summary First person point of view, the narrator was first lost in a random city and meets someone in a cafe, who he used to know from a manual labor job. That someone is Eddie Borrow, a former chick magnet, who currently looks withered to an extreme extent, and who, started conversing with the narrator. Eddie started telling him the story of his unfortunate life. His problem all-starting up and concluding with his neighbor, an old lady, Ms. Corvier, who seems harmless but with a penchant for raw meat. Eddie giving her raw meat and seeing the salvaged cat in her room paved way to the story's ending of which the narrator sees the disintegrated right hand of Eddie. And finally the narrator seeing him with a "not so old" Ms. Corvier, looking like teens who have recently just found love, heading into the dark.

16. Plot -In medias res - meta-fiction POV 1 st person - Unreliable narration ELEMENTS USED

17. ELEMENTS USED IRONY - Eddie’s life SYMBOLISMS - Cat - Inkcap mushroom

18. CHARACTERS Narrator Unreliable Passive Ms. Corvier Eddie Mysterious Proud Changed appearance

19. THEME - social hierarchy crab mentality Supports: The killing of Eddie to the cat and the yielding of Eddie to be eaten

20. Feeders and Eaters SENSE OF MYSTERY AND DREAD DARKNESS AS INTRINSIC TO HUMANITY JUSTICE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR VILLAIN-HERO (Satanic, Promethean, Byronic Hero ) THE PURSUED PROTAGONIST THE DISTRESSED HEROINE MARRIAGE AS RESOLUTION STRONG MORAL CLOSURE