Year 8 - English
Lowood Institution: Gothic settings in 'Jane Eyre'
A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils explore the Gothic. They start by learning what the Gothic is, before reading extracts from 'Frankenstein' and 'Jane Eyre', practising descriptive writing and reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. They finally learn how to write opinion articles and then write their own.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how Brontë uses a semantic field and pathetic fallacy to create a Gothic setting.
Key Notes
- A successful Gothic setting makes the reader feel uneasy and unsettled, but not necessarily frightened.
- A Gothic setting can be created through the use of semantic fields and pathetic fallacy.
- A semantic field is a group of words that all share similar meaning.
- Pathetic fallacy is when the weather reflects the mood (often of the main character).
- Brontë uses these methods in 'Jane Eyre' to characterise Lowood as a miserable and oppressive institute.
Vocabulary To Learn
- to adhere to: to abide by/ to obey a set of rules or conventions
- oppressive: if something is oppressive, it makes people feel uncomfortable or it is cruel and unfair
- regimented: very strictly organised or controlled
- semantic field: a group of words that all share similar meaning
- Pathetic fallacy: when the weather reflects the mood (usually of the main character)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils think that Gothic settings have to be utterly terrifying to count as Gothic.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
A successful Gothic setting makes the reader feel uneasy and unsettled, but not necessarily frightened. A Gothic setting can be created through the use of semantic fields and pathetic fallacy.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'to adhere to'
to abide by/ to obey a set of rules or conventions.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils think that Gothic settings have to be utterly terrifying to count as Gothic. Correction: Gothic settings are not about frightening the reader as much as possible. They are about making the reader feel unsettled and creating an atmosphere of mystery and dark intrigue.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'Frankenstein' and the Gothic context Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- An introduction to 'Jane Eyre': Analysing an unseen extract Study Guide
- Analysing effective opinion articles Study Guide
- Analysing the atmosphere at Thornfield Hall in 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Context for Gothic literature: science and religion in the 19th century Study Guide
- Editing descriptive writing based on 'A monster within' Study Guide
- Exploring the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Frankenstein's reaction to his creation Study Guide
- Frankenstein's regret and the scientific revolution Study Guide
- Identifying features of the Gothic genre in the plot of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Improving your opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
- Organising our gothic writing to build tension Study Guide
- Planning a cohesive argument about 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within' Study Guide
- Planning a written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Planning an opinion article about Gothic literature Study Guide
- Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Reading an extract from 'Frankenstein': A fateful night Study Guide
- Reading an extract from Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Regret in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- The creation of suspense in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- The structure of an opinion article Study Guide
- Using 'Jane Eyre' to inspire our use of gothic vocabulary Study Guide
- Using description in functional writing Study Guide
- Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Using semantic fields to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Writing a gothic description Study Guide
- Writing an opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
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