Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

Nathaniel Hawthorne

n old friend Deeply allegorical

writer. Hawthorne wrote

about many Gothic themes.

allegory  a symbolic story. serves as a disguised representation of

meanings other than those on the surface. characters often have no individual

personality. Characters emboys moral

qualities/abstractions.

Consider This When Reading Literature Literature is like music There are certain established

techniques the artist uses to reach the desired effect.

Gothicism a Literary Style with specific characteristics

and elements

Six Traits of Gothicism 1. Gothic Architecture 2. Dark Colors/Imagery 3. Supernatural

Six Traits of Gothicism 4. The Dark Side of the

Individual 5. Mental/Emotional Anguish 6. Allegory/Symbolism

How do these traits work in a story?

Objectives 1. Share and discuss your examples 2. Analyze each trait’s effectiveness 3. Discover what these traits bring to a

story.

Architecture Student responses:

Architecture Creepy laboratory (many quotes about it)

“Dr. Heidegger's study must have been a very curious place. It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs, and besprinkled with antique dust”

What does this do for the story?

Dark Imagery Student responses:

Dark ImagerySome items carry dark imagery. The book Black ebony table Red rose (black and red again)

Dark Imagery "My dear widow, you are charming!" cried

Colonel Killigrew, whose eyes had been fixed upon her face…like darkness from the crimson daybreak.” (p. 378)

“Their eyes grew clear and bright; a dark shade deepened among their silvery locks: (p. 379) How is Hawthorne using this trait?

Supernatural Student responses

Supernatural Magical water Mysterious mirror The folio (book of magic)

What do these things do for the story?

Dark Side of the Individual Student responses

Dark Side of the Individual Mr. Gascoigne was a ruined politician, a

man of evil fame Fighting guests (“Hands on throats”)

What do these things do for the story? How might this trait be working differently than

the previous 3?

Mental/Emotional Anguish Student responses

Mental/Emotional Anguish Loss and gain (and loss) of youth. Hawthorne loved this one!

What’s different about what we gain from examples of this trait?

Theme Complicated themes are being revealed:

Impossibility of earthly perfection Loss of innocence

Can’t have youth and wisdom (Zack R)

Mental/Emotional Anguish Another theme of this story is that a

person’s character, once developed does not change over time, and when faced with conflict and adversity, his/her true character becomes boldly evident. - www.classicreader.com

Allegory/Symbolism Student responses

Allegory/Symbols The Mirror =

Failure

The Rose =

Bride, Youth and natural balance, wisdom of age, the inevitability of death.

Allegory The bride’s portrait =

Failure, mistakes of youth

The magic book =

??? (strong forces, moral stability)

Allegory Dr. Heidegger =

God figure?

The Guests =

Lust, Greed, Vanity, Lies, Anti-Progress

Other symbols The butterfly The skeleton The fountain of youth The table

In summary The traits help: Create a mood/atmosphere Develop (darker) themes Challenge the reader to interpret meaning

Two Questions: 1. Was it real or a delusion? 2. What is more valuable:

"Life is about having fun and having fun now" or live a quiet life, analyzing and correcting mistakes, with the aim to reach calm and happy life when you are old.