Gothic Creative Inspiration

Placed upon an isolated cliff amongst the eternal dance of between the mist and fog, lay a desolate house. Crumbling grotesques carvings lay on the rotten ground. Ancient walls forbid trespasses from entering the ominous grounds…{A.Nematalla}

Gothic literature is hands down my favourite genre. The unique ability to situate the readers senses wholly in the story enables Gothic texts to be so enticing for the reader. The eerie plotlines also happen to make this genre so fun to teach.

Year 8 are currently halfway through their genre study of Gothic Literature. We first exposed the cohort to the core conventions and textual features of The Gothic through looking at extracts such as Dracula, Rebecca, A Tell Tale Heart and The Castle of Otranto. The cohort grew a deep appreciation for the way textual features evoke unique Gothic setting, character, and atmosphere.

Now comes the fun part. They get to write their own unique Gothic story focusing purely on setting and atmosphere. The objective is for them to use this story for an audiobook where can they can display deliberate written and non-verbal choices to enhance the Gothic setting and atmosphere.

Their creative work has been enriched through the inspiration gained by appreciation Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. They have skilfully employed devices used by Bronte in their unique pieces, producing genuinely outstanding work.

Wuthering Heights

Emily Bronte

The Gothic remains one of the most engaging genres to both read and study. It has been transformative to pass my own passion for this literature onto the next generation.