Comparing Gothic Literature
This Course Activity will help you meet these educational goals:
• You will analyze and compare the literary works of Emily Dickinson and Robert Louis
Stevenson.
You will conduct online research in which you will collect information, make observations, and
communicate your results in written form.
Introduction
In this activity, you will list the key conventions of Gothic in the literature of Emily Dickinson
and Robert Louis Stevenson, such as the past, the supernatural, and horror. You will identify
the key elements used in these writers' Gothic literature. You will also examine the themes
found in the Gothic works of Emily Dickinson and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Directions and Analysis
Task 1: Comparing the Literary Works of Emily Dickinson and Robert Louis Stevenson
Emily Dickinson and Robert Louis Stevenson are notable writers of the Gothic genre.
Research and write about the aspects of the lives of these two writers that may have affected
their writings. Note the Gothic conventions, themes, and elements in the Gothic works of Emily
Dickinson, specifically her poems "Because I could not stop for Death" and "I heard a fly buzz
-when I died." Then, note the Gothic conventions, themes, and elements of Robert Louis
Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Draw comparisons between the
Gothic elements in the works of each writer. Write two or three paragraphs about what these
works have in common and how these differ as works of the Gothic genre.