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American Literature
through Time
To find out more about
a particular literature time period, click a link in the table below .
Gothic
sub-genre of
Romanticism
1800-1850
Content:
sublime and overt
use of the supernatural
individual characters see themselves at the mercy of forces our of their control
which
they do not understand
motif of the "double": an individual with both evil and good
characteristics
often involve the persecution of a young woman who is forced apart from her true
love
Style:
short stories and
novels
hold readers' attention through dread of a series of terrible possibilities
feature landscapes of dark forests, extreme vegetation, concealed ruins with
horrific
rooms, depressed characters
Effect:
today in literature
we still see portrayals of alluring antagonists whose evil
characteristics appeal to one's sense of awe
today in literature we still see stories of the persecuted young girl forced
apart from
her true love
Historical Context:
industrial
revolution brings ideas that the "old ways" of doing things are now
irrelevant
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