Romantic Period & Gothic Genre Study PDF

ROMANTIC PERIOD period of change ( political/social/etc.) was previously the neoclassical period major historical events - industrial revolution, scientific advancements, exploration Uses nature to mirror human souls in writing - these things as...

ROMANTIC PERIOD period of change ( political/social/etc.) was previously the neoclassical period major historical events - industrial revolution, scientific advancements, exploration Uses nature to mirror human souls in writing - these things as Sublime ( tornadoes, waterfalls, Etc.) - Weather it's scary or beautiful, romantic saw it as pure Romantics try the status quo and give voice to those who stay quiet through the struggles with industrialization getting to know characters in our turn loyal in books is thanks to the Romantics individualism in the real world and in book characters was a big theme social criticism the frame of the tale: a plot within a plot - unreliable narrators, multiple perspectives, Etc Epistolary narration: story told through letters, diary entries, etc. so you are only getting that one person's perspective and it may not be accurate entire book is told through Robert Walton even when it's Victor's story it's still through Robert's words ROMANTIC PERIOD (GOTHIC GENRE) Dark Erie atmosphere, grotesque complex characters, internally frightening Gothic was originally an insult towards the previous eras Shakespeare has Gothic elements - omens, ghost, complete disregard for literature rules via tragedies turning into comedies and vice versa Gothic literature was frowned upon because it was seen as a gateway to a life of depravity - it also made people question if God was real Gothic period: 1750 to 1820 - really takes over in the 1970s - almost all poets were inspired by Gothic even if the writers didn't realize it Frankenstein as a Gothic text - gloomy setting/land to create unease - darker sides of human nature - fear of unknown - isolation and alienation in both Victor and the creature Characteristics of gothic fiction - dark, tragedy / death - storms, supernatural, - Villain, heroin, suspense - losing the light/terrifying event, Shadows  The Uncanny: invokes fear and or discomfort at something “familiar” - introduced by sigmund freud in 1919 liminality: liminal spaces, uncanny evokes disorientation - “on a threshold” somewhere kind of between real and fake - hallways, airports, schools, doorways ABOUT MARY SHELLEY AND RELEASE OF FRANKENSTEIN Mary Shelly's dad is William Godwin and her mom is Mary wolfescraft who wrote a woman's rights - Her mom died soon after giving birth to Mary Shelley Mary is surrounded by books and deep discussion due to who her dad is Mary's half sister died by Suicide - this highlighted mental health and her family Mary's daughter passed a few days after being birthed a few years later Percy, Shelly's husband, dies by drowning in a boating accident - most painful death for her to endure, because she loses her intellectual partner Shelly becomes more involved in social/political causes - she writes about freedom of slaves Mary Shelley originates the genres of Science Fiction and horror three children dead, but her fourth son lives Shelly keeps Percy's dead burnt heart wrapped in silk in her writing case During Shelly's life, generals were very in place in the world - men called the shots in the house and in public - women seen a second degree citizens Frankenstein was met with fascination and unease when first published deeper emotions and Sublime nature created Gothic Romance - the idea of scientists playing God challenges the ideas of Divine Right In other religious normals at the time many thought Mary's husband wrote it because a woman couldn't write something “so good” - what she wrote sparked philosophical debates Summer of 1816 Mary Shelley was surrounded by interesting company. during the summer, at a campfire was where the idea for Frankenstein was born - volcano erupted, Sky darkened all season because of ash, a lot of rain and darkness - Mary and Percy bent this summer at Villa diodati where they rented and lived in houses next to each other Romantic tensions arise Shelly becomes melancholy due to the darkness - Fantasmagoriana:A book of short scary stories that they all read while at Villa diodati - Coleridge's christabel: Short poetry type stories - John paladori, the vampire: this was the OG Vampire Heart throb who charms and then drains victims dry