Drinkwater 19
Allen Drinkwater
Dr. Mueller
ENGL 611
9 July 2015
The Dystopian Monsters and Gothic Androids of The Dark Days of Future Past
RATIONALE
One of the most intriguing – and fulfilling – activities in narrative analysis is the comparison of different genres. By juxtaposing representative works from different genres, a reader is able to identify the recurring themes, tropes, archetypes, and motifs found in each, those which are unique to a particular genre, and the inferences to be made by the comparison. While there is tremendous analytic potential to be found in the pairing of any two genres, it stands to reason that some work better than others. As such, the unit plan being proposed is rooted in the guiding of students through a cross-examination of dystopian and Gothic literature.
The specific unit to be created and presented will ask students to explore the connections between Gothic and dystopian fiction by means of comparing a typifying text from each: Mary Shelley’sFrankensteinandRidley Scott’sBlade Runner. Before asking students to craft a comparative analysis (which is currently conceived as an essay but could very well turn into some other sort of product), the unit will guide students through a review of the salient characteristics of both genres. As envisioned at this point, students will have already thoroughly engaged with a number of dystopian and Gothic texts, having read them in the contexts of their respective genres. Therefore, while readingFrankensteinand watchingBlade Runner, the class will run through a few lessons to run through some of the genres’ formal qualities, such as settings, defining characteristics, and common conflicts/plots. As each of these has been (re)investigated within its own confines, the final two texts will be experienced as comparative pieces.
Truth be told, the unit at hand is designed to serve as the final exercise in a more comprehensive curriculum development project, a class entitledThe Dark Days of Future Past– Gothic and Dystopian Literature. As this class is intended to offer high school students an elective venue for exploring genre fiction, the use of the Gothic and dystopian is (admittedly) a bit of a hook, a connection to texts which are currently celebrated by teens but have been derived from the earlier forms. In other words, one might say that the “at-a-glance goal” is to use the preexisting appreciation forTwilightandDivergentto lead students to the likes ofDraculaand1984.
With that being said, there are far more defensible justifications for creating a class dedicated to Gothic and dystopian fiction than this preexisting student interest. Both Gothic and dystopian fiction have, through wide appeal and richness of their genre, made undeniable contributions to literary tradition and popular consciousness. While these genres (and many others) are often overlooked by an academia more interested in a literary tradition of high art and canon (whatever that happens to mean), there is no denying that there are incredible possibilities embedded in the investigations of Gothic and dystopian fiction.
With Walpole’s proto-novel The Castle of Otranto often identified as the first text of the genre, the Gothic has proven itself capable of standing the test of time. From the earliest Italian-ruminations of Ann Radcliffe to the most recent vampiric-reimaginings of Stephanie Meyer, Gothic works have compelled readers to contemplate worlds beyond the unknowable, to come face to face with both unspeakable realities and the psychological fractures they create. On one hand, it is easy to dismiss narratives invested in the supernatural notions of ghosts and castles and supernatural phenomena simply because these are elements that cannot be known and thus escape true definition. On the other hand, a counterargument would suggest that this elusive quality is the very element that makes the Gothic so compelling in to its readership.
As posited by Punter and Byron, “Perhaps the Gothic is an entirely serious attempt to get to grips with difficulties in social organization, or in the organization of the psyche…” (xix). With organization – both of a social and psychic nature – being a timeless quality of human interaction, the constant invoking and reinvention of Gothic tropes and motifs certainly makes sense. Rephrasing this idea, Gothic fiction touts a more universal appeal, extending itself beyond the scope of those texts often deemed as having literary merit. Fortunately, this makes the (hypothetical) The Dark Days of Future Past class more invitational, as “The study of the Gothic, therefore, is – like the study of any literary genre – not something that can be pursued in academic isolation; the study of the Gothic opens windows onto all manner of social and psychological life” (xix).
In addition to being merely invitational to teenage readers, Gothic literature is imbued with qualities that enable said readers to connect in a deep, meaningful way. As detailed by Wendy L. Rodabaugh, adolescents are especially attracted to the Gothic because they identify with five of its key qualities: emotional extremes, self-revelatory journeys, individuals being pitted against the unknown, a yearning to rebel against authority, and a sympathizing with outcast-figures (69). But, again, it is not just a superficial ideation of self that makes the Gothic ripe for study, but for the intellectual doors its reading can open. Rodabaugh clarifies that “…the idea of these characteristics, as common to both adolescence and the Gothic genre, begs a case for introducing Gothic literature…these characteristics as not only an argument for why students may relate to Gothic literature, but as possible vehicles for encouraging discussion and guided writing assignments” (69).
Dystopian fiction, not unlike its Gothic cousin, is also particularly useful in that its defining characteristics appeal to student interest while inspiring profound reflection and contemplation. Falling under the umbrella of science fiction, dystopian works present high school students with opportunities to speculate about both future and present. For instance, Ray Bradbury proclaims that this sort speculative fiction is tremendously valuable as it consists of “any idea that occurs in the head and doesn’t exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody and nothing will ever been the same again…It’s always the art of the possible, never the impossible” (Weller 270). While acknowledging the value of the possibility-brainstorming found science fiction – and, as a corollary, dystopian fiction – Warren Ellis advocates more strongly for the genre’s delivery of what he terms a “novum.” Elaborating further, he writes that “The novum isn’t a prediction. It’s a possibility, an invention suggested by the sciences or the humanities, informed by the weather of the time. Science fiction is always about the time it’s written in. 1984 was always about 1948. Science fiction is social fiction” (Ellis).
With dystopian fiction accounting for half of The Dark Days of Future Past , enrolled students will be guided through literary conceptions of past and future so as to better assess the present. Ellis’ sentiment is echoed by Wilkinson’s “Teaching Dystopian Literature to a Consumer Class,” which posits that giving students these types of texts outside of (or even counter to) the curriculum du jour helps foster critical thinking. In short, it is in the hyperbole of the fiction that a lens for contemporary issues is formed. According to Wilkinson, the visions embedded in dystopian literature “can help students deconstruct their contexts…Unrestrained, the worst of the ‘consumer class’ habits devastate the environment, deter critical thinking, disable language, and, some say, contribute to terrorism in developing countries…” (Wilkinson 25).
Moving towards a conclusion, it must be noted that Gothic and dystopian narratives are also especially adept at enabling students to “become immersed in a new world (and in a new way of being), allowing self and text to merge for a time, [releasing] the self-formational capabilities of literary reading, and…recreating the world of the text within oneself” (Bruns 51). In fact, one could argue that Bruns’ assertion is best exemplified by genre fiction, as the imaginative landscapes crafted do the best job of immersing readers (especially adolescents).But to assuage any doubts, any potential naysaying, Bruns expounds upon the value of reader-immersion:
Undoubtedly, literary reading offers other contributions to learning a form of historical knowledge and occasions for the development of skills in textual criticism, but what sets literature apart from other types of texts is its particular capacity for inviting the psychological and cultural work that transitional space makes possible. Facilitating that use should therefore form the heart of a literary education. (116)
By the end of this unit – which again, serves as a representative sample of The Dark Days of Future Past – the goal is for students to have crafted a comprehensive comparative analysis. Before the delivery of this summative assessment, students will be given formative assessments, including (but not limited to) quick write activities, short writing assignments, journals, and note-taking exercises.
To achieve the desired end, there will be (by necessity) interactions with a number of essential questions:What are the similarities between Gothic and dystopian fiction? In what ways do they achieve the same effect? What are the differences between the two genres?What arguments could be made thatFrankensteinis dystopian andBlade Runneris Gothic? What do these texts, and the genres they represent, help us understand about ourselves and the world?
LESSON 1: REVIEWING GOTHIC/DYSTOPIAN SETTING
Grade:9-12 (Elective course)
Duration:54 minutes
Objectives:By the end of the lesson, students will...
· Consider the role of setting in narrative!
· Review characteristics of standard Gothic settings!
· Review characteristics of standard dystopian settings!
· Discuss the similarities between these two genres’ settings!
· Reimagine characters when situated in different settings!
Materials
· Devices (laptops/tablets) for writing!
· Slideshow presentation for prompts!
Procedure
· Students will begin class by responding to a five-minute quick write: “What role do settings play in narratives?How drastically can a setting change before the story changes as well?Are there any stories in which the setting doesn’t matter? Are there any in which the setting is the most important element?”
· After students have been given ample time (approximately five minutes), the class will reform to read and discuss responses.
· At this point, the class will be split in half, with students asked to independently do one of two things:
o List as many characteristics of a typicalGothicsetting as possible. Then, give an example of one such setting and describe how it exemplifies these characteristics.
[OR]
o List as many characteristics of a typicaldystopiansetting as possible. Then, give an example of one such setting and describe how it exemplifies these characteristics.
· After students have independently responded, they will be put into complementary pairs (one addressing the Gothic and one addressing the dystopian). Students will be encouraged to look for similarities as they discuss their findings.
· The class will come together again, this time discussing what the pairs discovered. As we review the paired discussions, we will take note of the defining qualities of Gothic and dystopian settings, marking any similarities encountered.
· The final activity of the class will see the students writing a one-page narrative response to one of following prompts:
o “Take a character that we encountered in a dystopian text and place her/him in a Gothic setting. Describe how this proverbialfish out of waterresponds to being in a new time and place.”
[OR]
o “Take a character that we encountered in a Gothic text and place her/him in a dystopian setting. Describe how this proverbialfish out of waterresponds to being in a new time and place.”
Homework
· Finish one-page narrative!
· Read the “Letters” section of Mary Shelley’sFrankenstein!
LESSON 2: BEGINNING FRANKENSTEIN VIA GOTHIC CONVENTIONS
Grade:9-12 (Elective course)
Duration:54 minutes
Objectives:By the end of the lesson, students will...
· Discuss implications of changing a character’s setting!
· Review conventions of Gothic literature!
· Discuss “Letters” section of Frankenstein!
· Analyze beginning of Frankenstein in terms of Gothic conventions!
Materials
· Devices (laptops/tablets) for writing!
· Gothic conventions handout!
· Slideshow presentation!
· Copies of Frankenstein!
Procedure
· Students will be given the opportunity to read the one-page narratives assigned last class, asking them to place a dystopian character in a Gothic setting (or vice versa).
o After all willing students have read, the class will discuss the implications of changing a character’s setting.
o At this point I will collect the narratives and transition into the next activity.
· As a class, we will use the slideshow to review the conventions of Gothic literature covered earlier in the year.
o We will first identify the conventions, and then work as a class to describe them.
· At this point, the class will be divided into five groups, each responsible for analyzing the “Letters” introduction of Frankenstein in terms of the Gothic conventions.
o Using the handout provided, each group will identify at least two excerpts containing its assigned convention, and then speculate about its role in the novel.
o The class will reform, and each group will report its findings.
Homework
· Read chapters 1-5 in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein!
LESSON 3: THE GREAT GENRE MASHUP
Grade:9-12 (Elective course)
Duration:75 minutes (Long Block)
Objectives:By the end of the lesson, students will...
· Reflect upon and discuss characterization!
· Consider exemplars of genre!
· Read an article pertaining to the concept of “hard” science fiction!
· Write about the conflict arising when one text may fit more than one genre!
Materials
· Devices (laptops/tablets) for writing!
· Clip from Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein!
· Handout pertaining to clip from Branagh’s adaptation!
· Nagata’s article!
· Slideshow presentation!
· Copies of Frankenstein!
Procedure
· Students will begin class by responding to a five-minute quick write: “What is the novel’s position regarding the responsibility of being a creator? Consider the following excerpt” (see attached slideshow presentation).
o After students have been given time to respond, the class will reform so as to discuss the quick write responses. Volunteers will be encouraged to read their writing aloud to the rest of the class.