- Hallmarks of the Gothic include a pushing toward extremes and excess, and that, of course, implies an investigation of limits. (p. 5)
- The Gothic deals in transgressions and negativity, perhaps in reaction against the optimistic rationalism of its founding era, which allowed for a rethinking of the prohibitions and sanctions that had previously seemed divinely ordained but now appeared to be simple social agreements in the interest of progress and civic stability. (p. 5)
- Among the extremes and taboos that the Gothic explores are religious profanities, demonism, occultism, necromancy, and incest. (p. 6)
- Landscapes in the Gothic similarity dwelt on the exposed, inhumane and pitiless nature of mountains, crags, and wastelands. In time these tropes of atmosphere, architecture, and landscapes became as metaphorical as actual, so that a simple house, a room or cellar, could become a Gothic setting, and a mere use of darkness or barrenness could call up the Gothic mood. (p. 7)
- Behind the states of fear and horror, and driving through the tissue of reasonable and rational explanations, loom the outlines of real horrors. In early Gothic this was sometimes the reality of the oppression of women, or children, in the patriarchy that denied them rights. (p. 8)
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Shontelle,
Great ideas! I especially liked #5–Why are the victims in gothic tales so often oppressed women? Important question.
-Prof. Scanlan