Across
- 2. The attitude toward the subject matter, characters, or events, as conveyed through the author’s choice of language, imagery, and style. Tone in Gothic literature is often melancholic, ominous, or dramatic, which enhances the emotional intensity of the narrative.
- 5. Excessive pride, arrogance, and/or overconfidence.
- 6. In literature, the supernatural is something that is not of the real world, and cannot be explained by science. This appears as unexplained noises, objects coming to life, the undead, monstrous creatures, superstition and lore, premonitions, prophesies, curses, myths
- 11. An elevated, paralyzing sense of fear. This is also a genre of literature and media.
- 12. Villian An outwardly-heroic figure who performs some villainous acts, or commits a crime that they are atoning for.
- 13. The mood or emotional setting created by the narrative. It is the overall feeling that envelops the reader, often characterized by mystery, dread, and suspense.
- 14. Differs from hermitude, in that the character is not alone by choice. They are often restrained or imprisoned by a villain.
- 17. In the Gothic, nature is represented through marshes and bogs (“moores”), foggy landscapes, remote locations, eerie forests. Nature can also be a character within a story, and take actions that help or hurt the characters.
- 19. A fatal flaw leading to a character’s figurative or literal downfall, or their tragic death.
- 20. Architecture: Medieval-style castles and manors that became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Characterized by turrets, towers, gargoyles, made of rich wood and stone in moody or dark colors.
- 22. An emotional reaction to a situation that results in the sublime.
- 24. The unexpected appearance of a duplicate of a person, often a supernatural being. In folklore and Gothic literature, seeing one’s doppelganger is an omen of death.
- 25. A symbolic, repeated idea or imagery within a text.
- 26. Crumbling ruins, chronic or terminal diseases, body decomposition, emotional, or physical frailty.
Down
- 1. Love that is challenged by loss, captivity, loneliness, powerlessness, and dominating male figures.
- 3. Graveyards, cemeteries, reanimation, the undead.
- 4. The creation of an overwhelming emotional experience within a reader that goes beyond normal emotions, rational thought, or scientific explanation. This is typically achieved through descriptions of unearthly beauty, or infinite and vast natural landscape. It is a common motif in Gothic literature.
- 7. A narrator who cannot be trusted, or that has doubtful credibility. It is not always obvious that the narrator is unreliable within a text, so the reader must put together the clues to decide.
- 8. The attempt to explain the unknown through scientific study and experimentation, sometimes successful, and other times, with terrible results (see: Frankenstein)
- 9. To live apart from society, often to hide a deep, dark secret.
- 10. Invented by Luigi Galvani. He discovered that when one applies electricity to non-living animals, it creates movement, which he interpreted as “life.” This inspired the Galvanism movement that encouraged experimentation with re/animating non-living things with electricity.
- 15. A dilemma or problem that the narrator or main character is trying to solve.
- 16. Topics or subjects that are considered to be inappropriate or impolite to discuss or write about. In Gothic literature, taboo topics of the 18th and 19th century included sexuality, incest, and unethical scientific experimentation.
- 18. The distortion of familiar ideas to create discomfort in readers or to disguise a darker truth. For example, Dracula is both familiar and terrifying because he takes on the form of a high-class, handsome man, and yet he is unfamiliar, because he is actually a centuries-old vampire that traps and feeds on humans.
- 21. A genre of literature that focuses on the supernatural/paranormal, unexplained, fear, the sublime, and the unknown elements of nature, science, and the human mind. Gothic literature always includes one or more of the following characteristics: uncomfortable atmospheres or dark settings, supernatural monsters or beings, curses, a female in distress, a hero with villainous qualities, romance, taboos, and strong emotions.
- 23. The artistic, and intellectual movement that emphasized emotion, individualism, and the sublime, most prevalent in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a reaction against the Enlightenment's focus on reason, logic, and industrialization, seeking instead to celebrate nature, imagination, and the human spirit. Mary Shelley both praised and criticized it in her writings.