GENRE: Southern Gothic
When you cross the sweeping drama of romance with the macabre isolation of small town life—and then throw in a touch of Southern whimsy—you've cooked up a collection of American literature absolutely unique in time, place and sentiment. Southern gothic.
Southern gothic writers leverage the details of the American South—the lonely plantations, aging Southern belles, dusty downtowns, dilapidated slave quarters, Spanish moss and Southern charm—to bring life to their slice of history. Steeped in folklore, oral history, suspense and local color, southern gothic is first popularized by 19th-Century short story masters Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ambrose Bierce. In the 1920s and 30s, William Faulkner makes the genre popular again.
Faulkner's towns burst with the rage of Civil War defeat and slave revolt. His characters cry the tears of a misbegotten people struggling to make sense of a world that has moved on without them. Family and personal traditions are replaced by strife and confusion. It all makes for powerful literature.
Characters of Southern Gothic
One of the defining features of southern gothic is the cast of off-kilter characters, many of whom are "not right in the head." The genre is riddled with many broken bodies, and even more broken souls. When southern gothic authors examine the human condition, they see the potential to do harm. Morality is in question for many characters. A major theme for southern gothic writers hinges on innocence, and the innocent's place in the world—where they are often asked to act as redeemer. If society hangs in the balance of an idiot's mind or on the words of a deaf-mute, we are all in trouble.
1. Read "A Rose for Emily" on page 517 in the yellow book. Make sure students understand the complicated chronological timeline.
2. How is this story "Gothic"?
3. Go over Tone and Mood - Give students list of tone words.
4. Have students continue writing in shared stories.
Homework Collected: None
Homework Given: Vivid Introduction due on October 30th, Occasional Paper due by December 7th, NWP – Post something by the middle of November - can be something you’ve already written.
Handouts given out: Tone Words
To Read: "A Rose for Emily"
