Journal Notes: Watch the British Library video detailing the tropes and history of the Gothic in Literature. Make detailed notes in your journal on EACH of the categories AND the historical origins of the genre.
Assessment: Write an academic paragraph analyzing the characterization of the boy in the story. How does Gaiman leave "breadcrumbs" of foreshadowing throughout the story? Use direct text evidence (quotes) to support your analysis.
The story is about what makes us afraid- like spiders- and what SHOULD make us afraid... things we aren't expecting.
What does it mean for something to be 'uncanny'? What are some examples of the uncanny in the room?
Friday: Homework Assignment- due Monday 10/23
"Strawberry Spring" by Stephen King: Complete the reading and annotatation for Gothic elements, with a special focus on the Uncanny/Doppelganger theory.
There are examples of ALL of the elements: Power Structures, Environment/Setting, Crisis, The Sublime, Supernatural, The Past/Decay, Taboo, the Uncanny
Watch the Monstrum video about the legend of Springheel Jack, read the two articles from the British Library's "Discovering Literature" site (linked above), and pull out words/phrases/passages that ALSO speak to the ideas and images of "Strawberry Spring". What connections can you see to our story? Make a page of notes in your journal on the three texts and their use in analyzing King's narrative.
MORE SPOOKY FUN!
Apparently there is a dramatized podcast of "Strawberry Spring"! You can find it here if you are interested!
What human conditions, experiences, emotions can be symbolized by ghosts/ghost imagery in literature? Consider what an author might use a ghost to signify in a story or poem. Make a list of possibilities on your journal page.
Homework: One line poems
Based on "And the Ghosts", identify a single line from the story that could also function as a one line poem.
Monstrosity in "Lusus Naturae" by Margaret Atwood
Commenting on the story, Atwood says: “I’ve long been interested in the differences between astonishing ‘tales’ and realistic ‘stories,’ with one borderline being the supernatural. What might happen when tale meets story—when the legend-stuff of vampire tales meets the solid fact of a disease that mimics vampirism, such as porphyria? How would the pre-modern family handle it? And what about the narrator, who is human despite what others may think of her?”
"Feed her bread, the doctor had said. She'll want a lot of bread. That, and potatoes. She'll want to drink blood. Chicken blood will do, or the blood of a cow. Don't let her have too much. He told us the name of the disease, which had some Ps and Rs in it and meant nothing to us. He'd only seen a case like me once before... She's a lusus naturae, he'd said.... Freak of Nature." (261)
How is Atwood's story one about Otherness and Outsider status?
Gothic Tropes Practice: Watch the trailer for The Woman in Black HERE and make notes of the Gothic tropes you see in it!
The Woman in Black FRQ2 Prose Passage: What is the atmosphere created in the passage and how does that atmosphere affect the characters? Consider the specific language Susan Hill uses to create this overall effect. For this passage, focus on how she uses the imagery of ALL 5 senses and analyze the VERBS. (Passage attached here)
The Woman in Black FRQ2 Prose Passage Presentation and Essay Prompt: How to approach the FRQ2 question (Passage attached here) Read the passage and go through the presentation.
Read the article and make notes on the 4 types of monsters and their symbolic value.