Gothic Elements vs. Magical Realism

Which would be the most likely setting for a magical realist story?

• an apartment building in Ohio

• a space station floating above Earth

• the White House

• a prehistoric jungle

Which event would you expect to see as a magical realist story unfolds?

• A poor but kindly woman finds out that her old typewriter is actually worth thousands of dollars.

• An old typewriter begins to type words at a very fast speed, although there is no one at the keyboard.

• An eccentric scientist uses an old typewriter to build a teleportation device that takes him to another galaxy.

• A frustrated man quits his good job and decides he will now write movie screenplays on an old typewriter.

In which setting would a Gothic story most likely take place?

• . a soaring medieval castle gleaming with finery

• a crumbling old mansion full of cobwebs

• a gloomy urban landscape with rats in the alleys

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Which character would you most likely see in a Gothic tale?

• a wealthy nobleman who is saddened by the memory of his lost love

• a lively young comedian who tells jokes about relationships

• a modern-day prince who likes rock and roll and hip-hop

• an average teenager struggling with identity

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A Hollywood director is making a film based on a magical realist story. Which of the following directions would she be most likely to give the actors, in order to create the proper tone?

• “Show how angry you feel during the most intense scenes.”

• “Let your face reflect your amazement at surprising events.”

• “No matter what happens in the story, avoid showing any shock or fear.”

• “You may create new dialogue to demonstrate when the story disturbs you.”

A character in a magical realist story discovers that her cell phone has been sending out strange messages to her friends. What attitude and response would you expect from this character?

• She would file an angry lawsuit against the cell phone company.

• She would panic and throw her cell phone into the river.

• She would rush to the police with her frightening story.

• She would continue to use her cell phone as normal.

A character in a magical realist story discovers that his computer turns itself on and off. Which of the following messages would you most expect such a story to communicate?

• Computers have untapped benefits that few of us appreciate.

• Modern technological devices like computers are evil.

• When we care more about technology than about people, we are in trouble.

• We have less control over our helpful, everyday devices than we think.

Which event would you most likely see in a Gothic story?

• Characters use a time machine to travel to the future and explore new cities and countries.

• A young hero is summoned by the king to fight against a group of armies that have been attacking the kingdom.

• A family ghost who was cheated out of his inheritance comes back to claim his rightful family status.

• A student sees a ghost in the mirror every time she passes mirrors in the mall, but acts like the ghost isn't there.

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Which language would you most likely see in a Gothic work?

• I couldn’t tell at first what I was gaping at: a big old house that looked as if it was about to fall over. The place was such a wreck, it was comical. I nearly fell over laughing while I looked at it.

• I knew not at first on what my gaze was fixed: a mansion of such dismal darkness and dilapidated sadness that I nearly fell into a swoon of severe weeping upon espying it

• I had technical difficulties with my visual interface. My sensors seemed to be perceiving a large, off-market asset that was clearly suffering from being outdated and hopelessly primitive.

• Every tiny noise was shear agony to my splitting headache as I burrowed my head deeper into the pillows to get away from the noise and light. The aura of a migraine descended upon me.

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Which of the following would you most likely see in a Gothic story?

• a character pulling switches on an enormous old computer made up of a tangle of vacuum tubes and wires

• a character playing gloomy music on an enormous pipe organ that echoes throughout a castle

• a character driving an enormous tractor that is plowing up a field of beautiful flowers

• a character who appears to be a normal teenager, but is really a werewolf waiting for a full moon.

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