Gothic+Elements+and+Poe's+Playbook

 §  __ D __ eath  §  __ D __ epravity - sinful  §  __ D __ ecay  §  __ G __ rotesque  §  __ A __ rchitecture  §  __ S __ upernatural Mystery  §  __ P __ hysical Horror  §  __ I __ nsanity/__M__adness  §  __ P __ sychological Horror  §  __ A __ tmosphere/mood  §  __ C __ urses  §  __ T __ ime- running out Madness Inspiration: Middle Ages- Architecture Reaction: Rationalism (reason, logic, science)
 * standard/victorian Gothic Elements **

 ·  Narrator (Often--1st Person, Male, Unreliable)  ·  Emphasis of Death (Torturous, agonizing, characters are antagonistic against it)  ·  Decay (figurative/Literal)  ·  Claustrophobia (figurative/literal) <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> · buried alive/vengence from the grave <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·  Women (beautiful women, damsel in distress who is not saved) <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> · Victorian setting <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·  Titles (many times are reflected in the text) <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·  Quotes (many times preface his works/quotes himself) <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·  Heightened Senses--but not necessarily "good" (acute sensitivity or absence of feeling)
 * Poe’s Playbook **

Questions to think ponder...

Why does poe choose first person, while others (Hawthorne) use third person? What relationship does the reader have with Poe's speakers and narrators? why do we often mistake the narrator to be Poe?

what is poe's major theme in his works?