American Gothic (U.S. Literature)
What’s inside this literature unit:
A 6-lesson reading plan with discussion questions and activities
Introductions and discussion questions for every text
Resources for further study
This unit focuses on American Gothic literature—which is frankly one of my favorite genres because of its spooky weirdness.
American Gothic stories aren’t scary while you’re reading them—they’re weird, uncanny, uncomfortable, and sometimes creepy—but later, when you’re trying to fall asleep, your brain keeps cycling back to them. All Gothic literature is a little like that, but while classic Gothic tales (think Dracula and Frankenstein) focus on the otherworldly, American Gothic posits its horror in the context of quotidian existence—in cozy small towns and quiet country villages, with people who could be your neighbors or your friends.
What’s inside this literature unit:
A 6-lesson reading plan with discussion questions and activities
Introductions and discussion questions for every text
Resources for further study
This unit focuses on American Gothic literature—which is frankly one of my favorite genres because of its spooky weirdness.
American Gothic stories aren’t scary while you’re reading them—they’re weird, uncanny, uncomfortable, and sometimes creepy—but later, when you’re trying to fall asleep, your brain keeps cycling back to them. All Gothic literature is a little like that, but while classic Gothic tales (think Dracula and Frankenstein) focus on the otherworldly, American Gothic posits its horror in the context of quotidian existence—in cozy small towns and quiet country villages, with people who could be your neighbors or your friends.
What’s inside this literature unit:
A 6-lesson reading plan with discussion questions and activities
Introductions and discussion questions for every text
Resources for further study
This unit focuses on American Gothic literature—which is frankly one of my favorite genres because of its spooky weirdness.
American Gothic stories aren’t scary while you’re reading them—they’re weird, uncanny, uncomfortable, and sometimes creepy—but later, when you’re trying to fall asleep, your brain keeps cycling back to them. All Gothic literature is a little like that, but while classic Gothic tales (think Dracula and Frankenstein) focus on the otherworldly, American Gothic posits its horror in the context of quotidian existence—in cozy small towns and quiet country villages, with people who could be your neighbors or your friends.
In this literature unit, we’ll look at several different short stories (plus some poetry and a movie) to build a nuanced definition of American Gothic literature.
Table of Contents
4 Texts and Sources Covered in this Unit
5 Essential Questions
6 Additional Resources
7 Lesson 1 (American Gothic)
10 Lesson 2 (“The Cask of Amontillado”)
19 Lesson 3 (“The Yellow Wallpaper”)
25 Lesson 4 (Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl)
28 Lesson 5 (“The Lottery”)
31 Lesson 6 (“A Good Man Is Hard to Find”)
Credit recommendation: 0.25 literature credit
Placement recommendation: This is a high school level unit, designed for students who are already familiar with the basic elements of literature (plot, character, theme, setting, etc.) and who are comfortable applying those skills to texts. Like most high school level curricula, it includes works that could be rated M for Mature. If mature content is a concern for you with your student, I encourage you to preview texts to asses your personal comfort level. (I read these texts with my own high school student and teach them in high school classes, but comfort levels can be very personal things.) This is a completely secular program.
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