Gothic+Literature

As we have discussed, the word "Gothic" means many things to many people. Gothic literature first began making its appearance in the 1700s. The PowerPoint below is the one we viewed in class. Take your time and review the notes at your own pace. If you were absent that day or need further clarification, please read through the presentation and mark down any questions you may have so we can address them in class.



We have discussed numerous examples of Gothic novels, poetry, movies, and music. Click on the link below to see a video example of a Gothic poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge called "On a Ruined House in a Romantic Country", written in 1797. The full text can be found [|here]. media type="custom" key="3789847"

If this poem sounds a bit familiar, compare it to [|"This is the House that Jack built..."] by Mother Goose. We discussed how Gothic literature stems from folklore stories. Notice the last stanza of "This is the house that Jack built". The highlighted words appear in both Mother Goose's and Coleridge's versions:

This is the farmer sowing his corn, That kept the cock that crowed in the morn, That waked the priest all shaven and shorn, That married the man all tattered and torn , That kissed the maiden all forlorn , That milked the cow with the crumpled horn , That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That killed the rat , That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

Discussion thread:
Click on the Discussion tab at the top of the page and respond to the post made there. What do you think Coleridge was implying with this poem? Analyze the poem, look at the images from the video, and write a brief summary of the events that you believe happened. Specifically, what did Jack do, and why?