GOTHIC TALES

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.

Look at the following images and brainstorm Gothic Literature:

Gothic Literature

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?

Gothic Book Covers:

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…

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. 

The elements of gothic fiction:

Pick a picture of a gothic setting. Imagine you were there – describe what you would feel see, taste, smell, hear.

Register Task: What do you see?

Objective

• To produce a short piece of effective writing, based on Henry Fuseli’s painting ‘The Nightmare’

Painting as a Story

• Many Gothic writer’s were fascinated by Henry Fuseli’s painting ‘The Nightmare’. In your books:

Creative WritingYou 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?

Some examples of what to write using the painting:

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!

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