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The Gothic Novel

What have literary critics read into the vampirism in Stoker’s “Dracula” ?

What have literary critics read into the vampirism in Stoker’s “Dracula” ?

A. The novel presents the vampire count as a father-figure of great power.
B. The vampire represents a beloved father who seeks to gather together all the women and young men (sons).
C. The vampire represents sexual impotence.
D. The vampire represents the future.

What have literary critics read into the vampirism in Stoker’s “Dracula” ? Read More »

English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

How is Thornfield in “Jane Eyre” different from the structures found in the first wave of Gothic novels ?

How is Thornfield in “Jane Eyre” different from the structures found in the first wave of Gothic novels ?

A. It is an ancestral estate.
B. It contains vault-like spaces.
C. It is located in England.
D. It is mysterious.

How is Thornfield in “Jane Eyre” different from the structures found in the first wave of Gothic novels ? Read More »

English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

In “The Castle of Otranto” which attitude does Walpole express towards primogeniture ?

In “The Castle of Otranto” which attitude does Walpole express towards primogeniture ?

A. It is a necessary part of the social order.
B. It is essentially fair.
C. It is monstrous.
D. It will naturally fall out of favor.

In “The Castle of Otranto” which attitude does Walpole express towards primogeniture ? Read More »

English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

How is the concept of “the new woman” Gothic ?

How is the concept of “the new woman” Gothic ?

A. It represents a “doubling” of Queen Victoria by English women as they remake themselves in her image.
B. It represents the “transformation” of the traditional Victorian woman from the private sphere to the public sphere.
C. It represents the rise in psychological pathologies or “madness” in women in the late 19th century.
D. It represents the “pollution” of the ideal woman by foreign influences.

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English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

Why has Bertha been characterized as the “madwoman in the attic” by literary scholars ?

Why has Bertha been characterized as the “madwoman in the attic” by literary scholars ?

A. To represent the expansion of Gothic literary spaces from only subterranean spaces to attics as well
B. To represent the shift from the male Gothic villain to the female Gothic villain in the Victorian Gothic novel
C. To make reference to the rise of personal responsibility in Victorian England for the care of the sick and insane
D. To make an ironic statement about the point of view and marginalization of the “Other” in Victorian England

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English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

How does the use of Gothic architecture assist the Gothic novelist ?

How does the use of Gothic architecture assist the Gothic novelist ?

A. It engenders confusion for both the novel’s protagonist and readers.
B. It offers a secure refuge for the novel’s protagonist.
C. It provides the space for a large community of people to congregate.
D. It represents the glory of a bygone age.

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English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

In what way do the houses in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Jane Eyre” differ from each other as Gothic literary structures ?

In what way do the houses in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Jane Eyre” differ from each other as Gothic literary structures ?

A. The relative location of the room in which the “troubled” women are kept
B. The state of disrepair when the houses are first encountered by the protagonists
C. The relative location of the houses within the larger communities
D. The relative age of the houses

In what way do the houses in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Jane Eyre” differ from each other as Gothic literary structures ? Read More »

English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

“It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer.” How does this opening sentence of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” NOT immediately suggest the Gothic ?

“It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer.” How does this opening sentence of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” NOT immediately suggest the Gothic ?

A. The reference to ancestral halls
B. The uncommon nature of the event
C. The first-person narrator
D. The dichotomy between the concepts of ordinary and estate

“It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer.” How does this opening sentence of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” NOT immediately suggest the Gothic ? Read More »

English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel

What do scholars Michael O’Rourke and David Collings argue about “Queer Romanticism” ?

What do scholars Michael O’Rourke and David Collings argue about “Queer Romanticism” ?

A. Romantic literary criticism has been stubbornly limited with regard to queer readings.
B. Deviant sexuality, including homosexuality, has historically been associated with Romantic literature.
C. The sexual lives of Romantic-era authors are not relevant to our understanding of queer Romanticism.
D. The “Queer Gothic” is understudied.

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English Literature Mcqs, The Gothic Novel