The Gothic

Hello year 13s,


This week we have been looking at the gothic tradition and finding evidence of it in 'The Yellow Wallpaper'. I have put a link to the PowerPoint I was using below.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aKd-blYPBv2URBtN1Qp8Jubuzz4fI2GeP2PoZf3q6Vk/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000


Elements of gothic literature:

• The supernatural (or the illusion of the supernatural)
• The women behind the wallpaper adds a supernatural element, especially in the end scene where it appears that the narrator has been 'possessed' by the spirit of the woman she has set free.
• If you prefer the interpretation that the woman behind the wallpaper is imagined by the narrator, there is an illusion of the supernatural that can be explained by the narrator's poor mental health.
• The sublime (terrifying/awesome landscapes and weather)
• The past disrupting the present (e.g. ghosts)
• There is evidence of the children the narrator imagines slept in the nursery in the past. The ripped wallpaper etc. However, it is likely that it is the narrator who has damaged the wallpaper during her stay in the house.
• You could also argue that the women she sees 'creeping' around the garden are the ghosts of all oppressed women - past, present and future.
• Powerful males and vulnerable females
• John is very much in control of the narrator, both physically and emotionally.
• The narrator is vulnerable because her ill health has been misunderstood by her husband and her brother.
• Sexual power
• Women being forced into life threatening situations, and ultimately breaking free.
• We discussed the possibility of the ending being a triumph for the narrator. Her victory might be forcing her husband to recognise her illness. We were divided on how triumphant the ending was, with many of us believing her to have lost everything by the end of the story.
• Wild landscapes and imprisoning houses.
• The house is unfamiliar to the narrator and acts as her prison.
• The room appears to have a sinister past (or present) due to the rings on the walls and bars on the window.
• She is fixated on the wallpaper and becomes trapped in the pattern. She is mentally imprisoned by it.
• The uncanny

The short clip we watched is available on the British Library website (link below). It is part of an article that explains the origins of the gothic tradition and the recurring themes and motifs. For your homework this week, you have been asked to read at least two articles on gothic fiction. By following the link below you will find a range of suitable articles. You might like to read the articles that discuss Frankenstein as a gothic text, and apply your new knowledge to the text.

http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gothic-motifs


Remember, you do not need to attempt to apply all elements of gothic fiction to a text to link it to the tradition. Some elements will be more dominant than others.


Coursework intervention sessions will begin after half term. They will be after school on a Thursday in room L108. Until then, I am available on Monday afternoons (periods 6 and 7) if you would like to come and speak to me about your coursework. Once coursework has been completed, the intervention sessions will focus on revision of key texts and essay writing skills.


Have a lovely week.


Miss Ryall