How to Incorporate Gothic Fiction into Your ELA Classroom

 Well, it’s already October; the first few weeks of school have flown by, in whatever form they have taken for everyone. With Halloween around the corner, a Gothic fiction unit is a great way to include that “spooky” factor in your classroom without having to do anything specifically related to Halloween. Plus, secondary students often like to read texts that are a bit edgier, and many Gothic texts certainly fit the bill. Using these texts also pushes students to improve their literacy skills, since Gothic texts can often be a bit more challenging to read. The study of Gothic fiction does not have to be limited to writing; I enjoy using films and images as well! Are you interested in using Gothic fiction with your classes?  Read on to find out how I incorporate this unit with my students. 

Introduce the Topic and Provide Background Information

First, I use images as part of my introduction – this helps to set the tone and gets students to visualize some of the elements of Gothic fiction before they start reading.  You can select a variety of imagery to use, such as dark forests, a full moon, stormy weather, abandoned houses, and so on.  Bonus points if you put on some creepy music while students are viewing the images! Students should look at the images, consider how the images make them feel, and think about what the images are communicating.  Next, I have students discuss what scares them, and anything else that they can think of that might be considered scary.  They also do some quick research on the Gothic genre to identify some common conventions in Gothic texts.  Some examples include a feeling of gloom, a spooky or haunted setting (especially one with secret passages, tunnels, etc.), high emotion, supernatural occurrences, ancestral curses, extreme landscapes or weather events, damsels in distress…you know, all the good stuff!  Finally, we read a Gothic story together – I generally use “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. It’s helpful to go through the story as a group if possible; that way, we can discuss what is occurring and I can clarify some areas that students might find confusing. I ask students to pick out Gothic elements in the story; we also discuss setting and irony at this time. By the end of this lesson, students should have a good idea of what Gothic fiction is, and they have seen some of the elements presented in a story. Want to try it? Check out out my Introduction to Gothic Fiction FREEBIE!

 

Talk about Mood

A major element of Gothic fiction is the mood that it creates – stories are often eerie, creepy, and/or suspenseful. Since mood is so important, I generally make sure that we examine mood closely. To do this, I generally use “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. While the story does have elements of gloom and suspense, there is also a trace of humor, which makes it an interesting read. Students will choose a section of the story to read closely; they need to identify a mood in that section and find examples of language use that develops that mood.  We also discuss character at this time, and students create a brief character sketch of Ichabod Crane.  As a fun “extra,” I often use the film Sleepy Hollow as a film study.  The film is an excellent way to study mood, due to its use of various film elements (like color, music and the use of weather) to develop an ominous and suspenseful feeling. Students can make connections between the two texts and analyze the two different interpretations of the story. 

 

Get Them Writing

A free write with an image and a prompt can get students incorporating elements of Gothic fiction into their writing in a low-risk way.  When I do the free write activity with my students, I will often turn off some lights and play some creepy music or a thunderstorm track to set the mood.  Students then receive an image of a haunted-looking house and a brief writing prompt to get them started.  I ask my students to continue the story and try to add in some of the Gothic elements that we have been learning about.  I do not grade this work, because I want my students to try some new things without being afraid of losing marks.  However, the ideas that students generate during this free write could end up being the basis of their final writing piece. At the end of the session, students can share their stories with small groups or the whole class if they feel comfortable doing so. 

 

Explore a Sub-genre

Another area that I like to explore during this unit is the Southern Gothic sub-genre. I find it interesting to compare Gothic and Southern Gothic texts so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two. We start off with a quick research activity that introduces students to some of the principles of Southern honor culture and the Southern Gothic genre. Students should understand that Southern Gothic is set in the American South, it contains elements of the grotesque, and it often contains an element of social commentary or criticism. As part of our study of the Southern Gothic sub-genre, we read William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily.” We discuss how Southern honor is shown in the story, the effect of a narrator, and how the characters interact.  Students also respond personally to what they have read by exploring Emily’s relationship with her father and reading a description of Emily provided by Faulkner himself. Click HERE to grab the ready-to-go assignments!

 

Analyze Images

While reading Gothic texts is wonderful, I get my students to analyze images as well.  Being able to identify the ideas presented in visuals and discuss how they are communicated is a skill that many students struggle with, so I like to take this opportunity to give them some practice with it. For my purposes, I use the work of Clarence John Laughlin – a Southern photographer who produced many images that are eerie and fit perfectly with the Gothic genre (and with the Southern Gothic sub-genre as well).  I will show my class a series of images produced by Clarence John Laughlin; these can be part of a presentation that is projected, or the images can be printed and posted around the room.  I allow students a few minutes to look at all of the images, and then we select one to examine together.  We look at aspects such as perspective, color, foreground/background, subject, proportion, and more. I will get students to look at the image and identify an idea that is being communicated; then, we will examine the different elements of the photo that communicate that idea.  Once we have analyzed and discussed the image together, I will have students select another image and analyze it on their own. 

 

Use Literature Circles

Since Gothic fiction texts are generally older and a bit more complex, having students work in literature circles to analyze a story can be a very productive activity. Students can work collaboratively to make meaning from the text and demonstrate their understanding. I also provide students with various texts to choose from (each text can only be examined by one group); this means that they have some choice as far as which stories they will read. Once students are in their groups, they will read their selected story together and develop a short summary, analyze parts of the author’s style, identify Gothic elements in the story, represent a part of the story with a visual, and make connections to other Gothic texts. Once the projects are completed, students can present their projects to their classmates so that everyone is exposed to a variety of Gothic texts.

 

Do Some Research

For this activity, students choose a famous Gothic author and research their life.  They also read one of the author’s stories and analyze it. Again, choice is key – students get to choose who they research, and they get to choose which story they will read. After they read the story, students will develop a short summary and analyze the Gothic elements in the story. They will also need to find a summary or analysis of the story written by someone else; they need to read the summary/analysis and evaluate how it affected their understanding of the text. Looking at other perspectives can help students clarify their understanding and respond more effectively to the story that they selected. I can also take the opportunity to help students improve their research skills and work on documenting research sources (which is always something they need practice with). 

 

Pull it All Together

Now that students have learned about the Gothic genre and read a variety of Gothic texts, they are ready to demonstrate their understanding with a final writing task.  My students can choose to write an essay, review, or feature article that analyzes a Gothic text or Gothic conventions, or they can develop their own original Gothic short story.  I always remind my students to look back at their lists of Gothic elements so that they can easily identify them in a text that they are reading OR so that they remember to include specific elements in their stories.  If students are developing their own stories, I also ask them to look back at their free write assignment to see if they can develop that into a full text. So there you have it!  The quick guide to using Gothic fiction in an English Language Arts class.  If you are interested in picking up my full unit, click HERE!