Home > Gothic Literature Summary & Study Guide > Gothic Literature Group > Discussion Board

I came up with this thesis on the development of the genre of the American Gothic - for my exam on Friday. Would you agree? Any objections? Supernatural appearances and motifs, such as ghosts, specters and monsters, are embodiments of people’s deepest fears and longings. Gothic literature reflects the antagonism between reason and fantasy. Or one may even say it reflects the search for identity, the insecurities of the individual and therefore fosters the desire to escape from reality. Alongside the enthusiasm for technological progress and the Industrial Revolution, the rapid changes in the nineteenth century caused anxieties about  the future.
                                                                                                                                  

Interesting!  I think you've done a good job with these points.  If you're sticking to a one sentence thesis, I'm assuming that the first sentence after the last question would be your thesis.  I agree with this statement, definitely.  This is why the Gothic genre is so popular and will remain so.  People are absolutely intrigued by their fears and what fuels them. 

Be sure to clean up your grammar/punctuation/spelling. :)  (English teacher talking here LOL).

In reply to #2:

Now you are making me a bit nervous:-). Are there that many mistakes? Or what do you mean by "Be sure to clean up your grammar/punctuation/spelling"?

I thought a thesis should consist of one single sentence - and that was what I had prepared. But then I was told to write 3-5 sentences on each statement:-((.

LOL!  I don't mean to make you nervous!  Yes, there are some mistakes in the paragraph you posted. :)  This is where I meant to "clean up your grammar/punctuation/spelling."  Yes, a thesis is one sentence, normally.  I'm not sure what you mean when you say you were told to write 3-5 sentences on "each" statement, though...

In reply to #4:

Would you mind telling me what the mistakes are? Please:-)!!!  

Ok, ok LOL!

Below, I've CORRECTED the mistakes in it for you...there were only a few minor grammar/punctuation/spelling errors:

Supernatural appearances and motifs, such as ghosts, specters and monsters, are embodiments of people’s deepest fears and longings. Gothic literature reflects the antagonism between reason and phantasy or one may even say it reflects the search for identity, the insecurities of the individual and therefore it fosters the desire to escape from reality. Alongside the enthusiasm for technological progress and the Industrial Revolution, the rapid changes in the nineteenth century caused anxieties about  the future.