Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 8

Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within'

I can generate ideas for my Gothic description.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 8

Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within'

I can generate ideas for my Gothic description.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Your Gothic writing should not simply be a horror story - you can create fear through atmosphere and mood.
  2. Gothic literature is characterised by a sense of threat, but this does not have to be violent threat.
  3. Semantic fields, pathetic fallacy and figurative language are methods that Gothic writers can use to create atmosphere.
  4. It can be useful to plan your use of methods before you begin writing, to make sure you are using them effectively.

Keywords

  • Gothic literature - literature that evokes feelings of mystery, fear and terror

  • Reminiscent - when something reminds us of something else

  • To conceal - to hide or to disguise

  • Dingy - gloomy, dark and drab

  • To mystify - to utterly bewilder or shock someone - to make someone confused

Common misconception

Students think that if they write a horror story that is full of blood and gore, that this makes it Gothic.

Gothic literature is about unsettling and mystifying the reader - not traumatising them with gory descriptions and extreme violence. There can be more fear in what is not revealed, than what is revealed.


To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

For the feedback activity in learning cycle 1, take answers from students as to why these description foci would not be appropriate for a Gothic text. Guide them to understand that whilst some of these suggestions are horrifying, they are not Gothic in the conventional sense.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following are common Gothic themes?
family and friendship
Correct answer: good vs evil
love and relationships
Correct answer: violence or the threat of violence
poverty and injustice
Q2.
When was Gothic ficiton popularised?
17th century
18th century
Correct answer: 19th century
20th century
21st century
Q3.
Gothic are usually isolated or egotistical males.
Correct Answer: protagonists
Q4.
What is Gothic literature interested in exploring?
the dangers of climate change
the kind and empathetic side to people
the threat of consuming ambition
Correct answer: the darker side of humanity
the importance of human connection
Q5.
What does 'to mystify' the reader mean?
to make the reader very excited
to make the reader feel very sad or angry
to unsettle the reader
Correct answer: to confuse the reader and make them feel unsure
Q6.
Match the language methods up to their definition.
Correct Answer:simile,comparing two or more things using 'like' or 'as'
tick

comparing two or more things using 'like' or 'as'

Correct Answer:metaphor,comparing two things by saying one 'is' the other
tick

comparing two things by saying one 'is' the other

Correct Answer:pathetic fallacy,when the weather reflects the mood
tick

when the weather reflects the mood

Correct Answer:personification,giving human features to something that is not human
tick

giving human features to something that is not human

Correct Answer:zoomorphism,giving animal attributes to something that is not an animal
tick

giving animal attributes to something that is not an animal

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Why is black often considered a Gothic colour?
It is reflective of night time, which is a dislikeable time of day.
It is reminiscent of light, purity and good.
Correct answer: It is reminiscent of death, decay and evil.
It is a dull and ordinary colour.
Q2.
Why is white often considered a Gothic colour?
It's a very distinct and memorable colour.
Correct answer: It can represent purity that has been, or will be, corrupted.
It reminds us of human bones, which is a Gothic image.
Correct answer: It can represent light or good in the battle between good and evil.
It's reminiscent of peace, which Gothic writers aim to achieve in their writing.
Q3.
What does the word 'dingy' mean?
unpleasant, disgusting and vile
Correct answer: gloomy, dark and drab
mysterious, secretive and concealed
unfortunate, unlucky and unjust
Q4.
If something is of something else, it reminds us of it.
Correct Answer: reminiscent
Q5.
Why are Gothic colours often contrasted with one another?
to reflect the different events in the plot
to reflect both night and day as time passes
Correct answer: to reflect the conflict between good and evil
to reflect the different characters in the text
to create a frightening atmosphere
Q6.
Which of the following semantic fields would help you to characterise a setting as old?
ancient, renewed, vintage, modern, sustainable
Correct answer: ancient, antiquity, elderly, history, past
ancient, kindred, respectable, vast, impressive
ancient, elderly, sparkling, lucid, gleaming, shiny