Year 8 - English
Context for Gothic literature: science and religion in the 19th century
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 explore important contextual ideas that impact Gothic literature, focusing on the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species'.
Key Notes
- The Enlightenment period represents a philosophical shift in thought, whereby reason and rationale were celebrated.
- There was an emphasis on learning the 'truth' about things; people thought this would bring them knowledge and freedom.
- The Industrial Revolution occurred in Britain in the 18th century, and then again in the 19th century.
- Galvanisation is the process of using electricity to try to create life.
- Scientific advancements were contested by religious people, who dismissed them as heresy.
Vocabulary To Learn
- innovation: the process of coming up with new ideas or inventions
- Industrial Revolution: the period in which industries began replacing manpower and physical labour with machinery/technology
- The Enlightenment: the period in which people began to value reason and rationale as a means to pursuing truth, knowledge and freedom
- rationale: a set of logical reasons for a belief or idea
- Galvanisation: the process of using electricity to try generate life
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students often think that scientific advancements have always been celebrated.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
The Enlightenment period represents a philosophical shift in thought, whereby reason and rationale were celebrated. There was an emphasis on learning the 'truth' about things; people thought this would bring them knowledge and freedom.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'innovation'
the process of coming up with new ideas or inventions.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students often think that scientific advancements have always been celebrated. Correction: In reality, scientists faced a lot of backlash for their ideas, mostly because many of them contradicted the teachings of the Bible.
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
- 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
- Lowood Institution: Gothic settings in 'Jane Eyre' 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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