BIOGRAPHY

GEOGRAPHY
Europe 1787
Europe 1815 (more)
Europe 1815 (less)
Switzerland
Germany 1815
Germany (current)
Germany (Ingolstadt)

HISTORICAL INFO
French Revolution
Romantic Movement
Gothic Literature
Pre-18th Century Science Industrial Revolution

LITERARY TERMS
Character Development
 

Analysis of Static Characters

Analysis of Dynamic Characters

Literary Allusions

STUDY QUESTIONS
Discussion Questions

Chapter Questions

Gothic literature was the predecessor of modern horror movies and nature imagery.

Gothic literature put a spin on the Romantic idea of nature worship and nature imagery. Along with nature having the power of healing, Gothic writers gave nature the power of destruction. Frankenstein is full of the harsh reality of nature. Many storms arise in the book, including storms the night the creature comes to life and the night Frankenstein destroys the corpse of the second creature in the Irish Sea.

The most common feature of Gothic literature is the indication of mood through the weather. When bad things are going to happen in a Gothic novel, the reader knows it because there is inevitably a storm outside. This is still true in many books and films.

Want to know more about Gothic Literature?

Norton Anthology of English Literature: Romanticism: The Gothic