ESL L5: Things that Go Bump in the Night...(Spooky!)

Friday, October 29, 2010

Gothic Literature

I have to admit. I'm biased. My absolute favorite genre of literature is Gothic Literature, so all the spookiness of this time of year makes me smile.

To expand from today's lesson, if you like all things creaky and creepy, here is a list of authors and their most notable works of art:

1. Ann Radcliffe. The 'Godmother' of Gothic Lit. My favorite author.
• The Mysteries of Udolpho - will Emily St. Aubert end up with her true love Valencourt, or will evil Venetian rouges or ghosts carry her off in the night, never to be heard from for all of eternity? I'm not telling...you will have to read the book! If you like Jane Austen, then you must read Northanger Abbey which is her gentle ribbing of Radcliffe's tale.
2. Mary Shelley. Legend says that on a miserable night while on holiday in Switzerland with Lord Byron, Polodori, and Clairmont, these famous authors dared each other to write a 'scary story.' Frankenstein was Shelly's offering. The rest is history...
• Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus - I can still see myself at age twelve, reading this novel in the library for homework with my best friend. There is a scene in this book that is so brilliantly frightening, that upon leaving the library on a gloomy, spooky October night, the two of us ran the entire way home -- least we encounter any such fiendish creatures. This novel is a classic and ever popular as it comments upon mans desire to control nature, and details the dangers of science.
3. Bram Stoker. 
• Dracula - I did like reading this novel for the details of the scenery because my Transylvanian ancestors were still living in this region when the book was written. However, it is very, very creepy! I did have to put it down a few times as it was a bit too 'intense' for me. But maybe its just the Romanian in me warning myself to take heed to carry garlic in my pocket on nights of the full moon...:D 
• Since vampires are all the rage at the moment, you should also know about Polodori's (name ring a bell? reread the entry on Mary Shelly...) The Vampyre, Le Fanu's Carmilla, and Keats' Lamia or La Belle Dame Sans Merci so that you understand the roots of Twilight, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Sunshine, The Interview with the Vampire and The Reformed Vampire Support Group. 
4. Edgar Allen Poe - The Raven.

Homework for Friday, October, 29, 2010

1. Journal: Topic 1) Halloween or 2) Gothic Literature or 3) spooky things from your country/culture (150 words)
2. Vocabulary Notebook due on Monday, November 1, 2010
3. No Unit 7 test!

~Happy Halloween!~

Boo!