Craig



Gothic literature During the period of 1750-1820 there was a large amount of change occurring in Europe. It was during this period that gothic literature claims its origins.

The gothic genre is arguably **(by whom?)** one of the most controversial styles of writing ever conceived. This new style of writing changed literature __forever__ in that it revolutionised the way stories were written. __Never before__ **(over the top)** had the boundaries of society and culture been so boldly challenged by mere literature. The popularity of this new gothic style of writing exploded in popularity. The reason for this was simple. In a time that was hungry for political and social reform a style of writing emerges that challenges the ideas and attitudes of the time period whilst appealing to the imagination through supernatural occurrences how could this not invoke curiosity and excitement amongst the masses?. It is because of this content that gothic literature took such a soar in popularity so quickly and why it remains popular today **(This is good. Should have been your topic sentence and build from there)**.

**(Excellent __broad__ ideas- but as they are, too general and unexplained)**Politically the gothic genre has played its part in many ways, including the rise of the toris and whigs political parties as well as broad political and social changes that swept across Britain and Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. The role of gothic was not simply reacting to events, the feelings and ideas that the gothic genre brought about and portrayed significantly influenced politics as well. In terms of political cause and effect of the gothic each part may need each other as in some form of symbiosis in order for any progress to be achieved. While gothic fiction was awash with confusion it was also written from confusion this came from, **{**among other things the uncertainty of how to portray and visualise the future and so varies from optimistic, positive views to quite morbid and powerful despair depending on the writer. Unarguably revolutionary politicisation, reactionary nostalgia and quite deliberate escapism are all represented in different ways in the gothic genre**}(Does this belong in politics paragraph?)**. During the time at which the gothic was taking root in Europe and Britain, there was an immense uncertainty spiritually. Over 20 years before the __origins of species__ (Charles Darwin) was to be published people were already beginning to look for scientific and rational explanations as to why and how the world was created. That being said, radical thinkers were castigated for their religious beliefs as much as thier political ones. In fact the two spheres of political and spiritual were, unlike today nigh inseparable. During the mounting challenge to the position of official Christian church of England the gothic became a symptom of change rather than a coherent stance. The gothic is most commonly seen by historians as a sudden challenge to, or loss of faith in the theological views on nature before a scientific one existed that could replace it. The gothic was in essence a reaction or response to the dominant ideological forces of the century e.g. rationalism and classicism .(**Nicely written)** Intellectually the gothic was a new form of writing. Whereas previously all that had been available was poetry and ballads, there was now a new form of writing, the novel. This alone completely transformed modern literature and remains the basis, even today of many forms of writing. Historically the gothic genre is significant and as such has intellectual interests and features to those whom seek them.**(Pretty lame here. Not much said)**

//The Monk// is a key example of gothic literature in that it highlights many of the key features that have made the gothic genre so successful and distinct from other forms of literature. //The Monk// was composed by Mathew Lewis in 1796 over the space of 10 weeks and tells the tale of a well respected monk and his violent downfall organised by an instrument of Satan. The novel is quite graphic in its depictions of violence and the repressed sexuality that sprout loose from the characters. The sexuality itself as described in this quote "the weapons point rested on her breast; oh and that was such a breast". For the time period of which this was published that sexuality would have been quite controversial and, as with many cases of the gothic pushed the barriers on what society deemed acceptable. In a time where women's sexuality was downplayed to a level at which it almost didn't exist and prominent was the idea of the prim and proper __Victorian__**(wrong time frame for 1796)** woman. This idea of a women going against society and joining the monastery under the cover of being a man and then developing a sexual relationship with a respected member of the church would have pushed the boundaries to a point where some members of the public would have strongly criticized or even disregarded the novel as blasphemous or untasteful. The violence present in //The Monk// is evident in the rape and murder of Antonia as well as the torture of Lorenzo's sister by the nuns. The violence depicted in this novel yet again is an expression of the repressed side of humanity being unleashed where it would usually not and would instead be brought under control due to the societal and cultural influences placed on people since birth.**(Excellent)** Spiritual features of this novel are quite prevalent due to the obvious facts that //The Monk// is set in a monastery and that the main source of evil (A woman named Matilda) is in fact an instrument of the devil himself whom has been setting up Antonios downfall the entire time. The entire novel is filled with religious undertones, actions and settings "He betook himself to prayer; he started from his couch and knelt before the beautiful Madonna".**(//No comment from Mr Warren here other than a tick which truly brings a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart :P// )** The constant reappearance of the repressed sub-conscious in //The Monk// continues throughout the entire novel. In fact almost every significant action by Ambrosio or Antonia is based on the repressed behaviour of the sub-conscious suddenly becoming free and acted upon.**(Powerful idea. More explanation- development would have been good. Avoid these little short paragraphs but just touch on an idea) { //I actually had more on this paragraph but cut down due to the word count being ridiculously over- literally another 100-200 words solely on this paragraph}//** This novel is in fact a prime example of the birth of the classic gothic style of literature. This could almost qualify as the birth of the gothic literature on its own. While one novel doesn't classify the origins of a literature type I do believe quite strongly that this novel contributed to a fairly high degree in cultivating the claim that 1750-1820 is where the origins of gothic literature lay. **( A better conclusion would be a long term historical overview from today's perspective)**

By Craig McWhirter ** (Well put together. Sophisticated comments regarding monk. Some weak patches- opening paragraphs should set out your intended main points) **