English Gothic (The Pretext)

In the short story “The Pretext” the term “English Gothic” (Lewis, 1968, p. 649) is mentioned. According to Hornby (2015) Gothic can either be a style of architecture or a printing type (p. 678). Considering the interests of Edith Wharton and of the character Mrs. Margaret Ransom the former definition is the fitting. Gothic in general distinguishes itself through pointed arches and windows and tall thin pillars and it was popular in Europe from the 12^th to the 16^th century (Hornby, 2015, p. 678). The English Gothic style is “characterized by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, flying buttresses, enlarged windows, and spires.” (English Gothic Architecture, 2021). The first buildings with English Gothic architecture are Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Despite the era of English Gothic ended in the 16^th century it reappeared in the 19^th during the Gothic revival. The English Gothic consisted of three different smaller periods which all had their own characteristics (English Gothic Architecture, 2021).

In the short story the English Gothic architecture is not described in more detail; it is only stated that Mrs. Margaret Ransom “threw herself into the architectural studies of the Higher Thought Club, and distinguished herself, at the spring meetings, by her fluency, her competence, her inexhaustible curiosity on the subject of the growth of English Gothic” (Lewis, 1968, p. 649) after she gains new interests in her daily duties. Additionally, she has to sum up her conclusion on English Gothic at the last meeting of the Higher Thought Club and therefore rereads an “analysis of the structural features of the principal English cathedrals” (Lewis, 1968, p. 649). Right before Lady Caroline Duckett arrives at the Ransom’s house, Mrs. Margaret Ransom reads out a passage to herself which once more explains the features of the architecture style: “’The longitudinal arches of Lincoln have an approximately elliptical form’” (Lewis, 1968, p. 649).

Sources:

Hornby, A. S. (2015). Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Lewis, R. W. B. (1968). The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

“English Gothic Architecture”. Art Encyclopedia. Architecture. European Architectural Designs, 2021, http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/architecture/english-gothic.htm#google_vignette. Accessed May 26, 2021.