Retrieval quiz: gothic tropes and conventions

What does the term 'liminality' refer to?

• a) A state of complete awareness and clarity

• b) A state of mind that is neither awake nor asleep

• c) A state of perpetual happiness

• d) A state of uncertainty and possibility during transformative moments

How can we define 'liminal spaces'?

• a) Spaces that are always well-defined and stable

• b) The spaces between 'what was' and 'what will be,' on the verge of something new

• c) Space with clear boundaries and no ambiguity

• d) Space that are exclusively focused on the past

Which novel initiated the tradition of Gothic fiction?

• Dracula by Bram Stoker

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

The answer to question three was The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. When was this novel published?

• 1897

• 1818

• 1847

• 1764

In Gothic fiction, what two juxtaposing physical spaces feature commonly?

• a) Urban spaces vs suburban spaces

• b) Wild and open spaces vs enclosed spaces

• c) Indoor spaces vs outdoor spaces

• d) Modern spaces vs historical spaces

How might we define Sigmund Freud's theory of the 'uncanny' in the context of Gothic fiction?

• a) Something that is familiar and comforting

• b) Something that is completely unknown and mysterious

• c) Something that is new but takes us back to the past; unsettling

• d) Something that is always pleasant and reassuring

How is the 'sublime' understood in the context of Gothic fiction?

• a) Experiences of nature that are harmonious and peaceful

• b) Experiences of nature that are beautiful but terrifying and overwhelming

• c) Experiences of nature that are ordinary and unremarkable

• d) Experiences of nature that are ugly and repulsive