A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Southern Gothic Literature and "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

Open Ended

Brainstorm:  how many different genres of literature can you think of?

Gothic Fiction

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Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a genre of literature and film that covers horror, death and at times romance.

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​Southern Gothic

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​Southern Gothic is a SUBGENRE of gothic fiction. The primary difference between the two is that Southern Gothic stories take place in . . . the south.

Common features of Southern Gothic stories:

• Southern settings and characters

• Anti-heroes and villains

• Examinations of racism

• Critiques of Southern values (southern manners, morals, traditions, etc.)

• ​GROTESQUE characters

• ​Good Vs. Evil (what is good? what is evil?)

Southern Gothic Writers examined the darker side of life in the South.

e.g. slavery, racism, classism, deep poverty, violence, crime . . .

​The Grotesque

​adjective.

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​Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous

The Grotesque . . .

• Jabba the Hutt

The Grotesque . . .

• Edgar

The Grotesque . . .

• The Pale Man

Open Ended

What makes someone a "good" person?

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​In Southern Gothic literature, while the grotesque is sometimes visible, it is often HIDDEN on the inside. People can look grotesque, but they can also BE grotesque because of what they have done or what they think and say.

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​In "A Good Man is Hard to Find," think about ways in which indirect characterization (STEAL) is used to show how grotesque people can be not just on the outside, but on the inside as well.

"Grotesque" Characters in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"

• ​The Grandmother

• ​Red Sammy

• ​The Misfit