Say Farewell to the American Dream, and say

Hello to

THE AMERICAN
NIGHTMARE

WHATS WRONG WITH THE

AMERICAN DREAM?
Personal fulfillment is optimistic
Sometimes idealistic

Consider Emersons beliefs

[There was] a side of life to which Emersons eyes were thickly bandaged
He had no great sense of wrong no sense of the dark, the foul, the
base.

ROMANTIC RECAP
Romantic writers celebrated the beauties of nature.
Romanticism developed as a reaction against the rationalism of the
Age of Reason.
The romantics freed the imagination from the hold of reason, so
they could follow their imagination wherever it might lead.
For some Romantics, when they looked at the individual, they
saw hope (think A Psalm of Life).

DOES EVERYONE HAVE A

DARK SIDE?
Unit 4: The Dark Side of Human Nature

THE UGLY SIDE OF ROMANTICISM

Romanticism = Optimism in most cases
Some Romantic writers focused on the darker emotions
What are examples of dark emotions?
Would this make for more interesting or less interesting literature?

EDGAR ALLAN POE

Theory:
In extreme situations, people will reveal their true, evil nature.
Do you agree or disagree?
(Example: 1984)

AMERICAN GOTHIC
The American Gothic writers are considered the brooding Romantics
They are also considered the Anti-Transcendentalists
Recall what you know about Transcendentalism. What might you expect an
Anti-Transcendentalist to believe or write about?
Edgar Allan Poe (The Masque of the Red Death)
Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter)
Herman Melville (Moby Dick)

ANTI-TRANSCENDENTALISM
Explores the deep, inner life of characters in stories, poems, and novels
Examines humans motivations for behaving the way they do
Emphasize emotion, nature, the individual, and the unusual
Which of these characteristics sounds most similar to Transcendentalism?

HISTORIC CONTEXT
The words Goth and Gothic describe the
Germanic tribes (e.g., Goths, Visigoths,
Ostrogoths) which ravaged Europe in the
third, fourth, and fifth centuries.
By the eighteenth century in England,
Gothic had become synonymous with the
Middle Ages, a period which was in
disfavor because it was perceived as
chaotic, unenlightened, and superstitious.

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
12TH~16TH CENTURY
Gothic architecture used pointed arches and vaults, flying buttresses, narrow
spires, stained glass windows, intricate traceries, and varied details; its upward
movement was meant to suggest heavenward aspiration.

AMERICAN GOTHIC
Did not believe in the inherent goodness of all people
Explored the human capacity for evil
Focused on the inner lives of characters
Explored characters motivations
Emphasized emotion, nature, and the individual
Included elements of fantasy and the supernatural

Freed the imagination from the restrictions of reason

EXPLORING THE DARKNESS

Gothic Elements
1. Grotesque characteristics
2. Bizarre situations
3. Violent events
The gothic tradition began in Europe, likely inspired by the Gothic Architecture
of the Middle Ages.
The Dark Romantics explored the fantastic, the demonic, and the insane.

GOTHIC CONVENTIONS
Murder

Death

Gloomy Family
settings
secrets
Vampires Spirits

Suicide

Ghosts

Demons

Dungeons Curses

Torture

Castles

Terror

Tombs

A FEW MORE GOTHIC

CONVENTIONS
Damsel in distress (frequently faints in horror)
Secret corridors, passageways, or rooms
Ancestral curses

Ruined castles with graveyards nearby

Priests and monks
Sleep, dream, death-like states

NOTE THE FOLLOWING SYMBOLIC DETAILS THAT

SUGGEST MYSTERY, DANGER, OR THE
SUPERNATURAL
wind, especially howling

sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds

rain, especially blowing

clanking chains

doors grating on rusty hinges

gusts of wind blowing out lights

footsteps approaching

doors suddenly slamming shut

lights in abandoned rooms

crazed laughter

characters trapped in a room

baying of distant dogs (or wolves?)

ruins of buildings

thunder and lightning

EDGAR ALLAN POE

Explored human psychology from the inside
First-person narrators who were criminal or insane
Extreme plot situations: murder, live burials, physical & mental torture,
retribution from beyond the grave

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
Agreed with Romantic emphasis on emotions and the individual
Examined the darker facets of the human soul
Example: the psychological effects of sin and guilt on human life

HERMAN MELVILLE
Adventure stories set in the South Pacific
Explored the issues of madness and the conflict of good & evil
The dark side of material prosperity

GOTHIC IMPLICATIONS
Foreshadowed the tumult and tragedy of the Civil War
Affected the development of American Literature throughout the 19th
century
Why do people enjoy being frightened or disturbed???