Do Now: Quiz on chapters 1-3 of To Kill a Mockingbird

Transcription

1 Do Now: Quiz on chapters 1-3 of To Kill a Mockingbird

2 Chapters 1-3 What happened?

3 The Gothic Tradition To Kill a Mockingbird

4 Discuss: What does Gothic mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the words Gothic or grotesque?

5 General Definition The word Gothic refers originally to a group of people who used to live in East Germany the Goths. They were the people who invaded Rome between the 3 rd and 5 th centuries. Gothic then became a style of architecture, used mainly in western Europe in the 12 th -16 th centuries. It was characterized by pointed arches, rib vaults, and flying buttresses, together with large windows and elaborate tracery. It then became a style of literature in the 19 th century.

6 Gothic Literature Gothic literature started gaining popularity in the 1700 and 1800s. They were elaborate ghost stories, dealing with a concept called the picturesque. Gothic novels contained haunted castles, threatening mysteries, ancestral curses, and fainting heroines. Gothic novels contained either the supernatural or the explained supernatural, where things which seemed haunted were given natural explanations.

7 Example:

8 Example:

9 Example:

10 Elements of Gothic Literature It s usually set in a castle, or uses an old castle for dark purposes. Example: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Cask of Amontillado Omens, portents (warnings), or visions Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events High and overly dramatic emotion Characterized by women in distress, and threatened by impulsive, powerful, and tyrannical men.

11 Southern Gothic Southern Gothic differs from regular Gothic literature in several ways. It is regionalized people say y all, have accents, etc. It takes place exclusively in the American South cutting a diagonal line across Texas and up through Southern Virginia. It deals with eccentric, grotesque, and bizarre characters. These characters may or may not be supernatural; it is never actually explained. Instead of castles, there are manor houses, plantations, Civil War hospitals, and cemeteries.

12 Southern Gothic The idea behind Gothic literature (both classic and Southern) is that there is an ancient evil dwelling in the area that has yet to be put right. Haunted locations often reflects what culture is most ashamed of. United Kingdom haunts: workhouses, mental hospitals, etc. United States haunts: slave plantations, Native American sites, Civil War hospitals, etc. Several mainstream TV shows are considered Southern Gothic: 3 seasons of American Horror Story, True Blood, some episodes of Supernatural, etc.

13 Southern Gothic Characteristics Deeply flawed, disturbing, or eccentric characters Ambivalent gender roles Derelict or decaying settings Grotesque images Sinister situations which always come about because of poverty, alienation, isolation, crime, and violence Hoodoo

14 Hoodoo Also known as rootwork or conjuration, hoodoo is essentially folk witchcraft. Hoodoo combines beliefs from African, Native American, and European folklore. Hoodoo started as a primarily African-American belief, but was widely used throughout the American South. It allegedly is supposed to bring either good luck and good fortune, or righteous revenge. Hoodoo sometimes seen as the opposite of voodoo which is meant to bring about evil.

15 Differences: The Southern Gothic style uses macabre (disturbing) and ironic events to show the values of the American South. Southern Gothic style implements Gothic elements to explore social and cultural issues of the American South. Gothic literature uses those elements mainly for suspense and horror, but Southern Gothic uses them for social commentary.

16 Gallery Walk There are ten pictures posted around the room. You have been given a Gut Reaction Slip. Walk around the room and look at each picture. On you paper, write down the first thing that the picture makes you think of. When you have written a reaction for all ten, you may sit down.

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27 Discuss: What did the images make you think of? What did the images all have in common?

28 To Kill a Mockingbird TKAM is considered to be a Southern Gothic novel. Why do you think that is? Are there elements or characters you think match the Southern Gothic style?

29 Gothic Elements in TKAM The Radley Place Boo Radley The Ewells Miss Maudie Dill Harris

30 Assignment: Quote Hunt Look in chapters 1-3 for descriptions of Boo Radley, the Radley place, or Maycomb itself. You are looking for quotes that embody the Southern Gothic style things that seem grotesque, mysterious, supernatural, etc. Write down the full quote, the page number, and what makes it Gothic. You must have at least five quotes.

31 Homework: Read through chapter 6 of TKAM