Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about Gothic literature? List examples of books, TV shows, movies, or video games in this genre. What characteristics, conflicts, and images are common in Gothic literature?

Teaching Suggestion: If students are unlikely to know the definition of Gothic literature, you might ask them to provide examples of fictional works in the horror genre. Then, students might benefit from reading through the links below and separating their examples into two buckets: Gothic horror and non-Gothic horror. You might then have students participate in a whole-class discussion on what makes fiction “Gothic” and then debrief their examples of Gothic and non-Gothic fiction.

• This library guide from the British Library defines Gothic literature and provides examples of key Gothic motifs. The page includes a 9-minute video that students may either watch or read in transcript form.
• This article from the New York Public Library provides specific examples of Gothic literature and explains how they contribute to the Gothic genre.

2. Gothic literature is often disturbing and unsettling in nature.