Gothic, Modern Gothic, & Magical Realism

Which of the following would you expect to see at the beginning of a Modern Gothic story?

• a drafty old mansion

• a World War II army base

• a saloon in the Wild West

• a suburban home in Reno

Which plot element would you expect to see in a Modern Gothic story?

• an important revelation about the main character

• an event that seems normal but feels slightly off

• a disagreement between characters that escalates into violence

• a technology problem that causes mass panic

Which of the following would you expect to see as a Modern Gothic story comes toward its conclusion?

• ordinary events occur, and characters respond in ordinary ways

• odd events pile up, and characters begin to act strangely

• odd events stop occurring, and characters begin to figure out the cause

• ordinary events occur, and characters respond by panicking

Which of the following would you expect to see at the end of a Modern Gothic story?

• Odd events are not explained, and the mystery isn't resolved

• Odd events are resolved, and the mysterious stranger disappears

• Odd events are shown to be an illusion, and the characters are relieved

• Odd events are shown to be not odd at all, and the mystery is explained

What kind of story is this most likely to be?

A nineteenth century Civil War story with intense violence and characters that suffer a great hardship.

• gothic

• modern gothic

• magical realism

What kind of story is this most likely to be?

A baseball story in which a fun-loving team plays in an old stadium and works with ghosts of players from the 1920s who help them win games.

• gothic

• modern gothic

• magical realism

What kind of story is this likely to be?

A modern day story set in a rotting suburban home that care for a depressed main character.

• gothic

• modern gothic

• magical realism

Which of the following would you expect to see at the beginning of a magical realism story?

• a setting 200 years in the future

• a setting that included dinosaurs

• a setting in a suburban home

• a setting in the home of a super-famous rock star

Which plot event would you most expect to see as magical realism unfolds?

• a visit from people in a time machine

• a tree that seems to sigh and groan in the wind

• aliens take over the White House

• ghosts who rob the Metropolitan Museum

Which of the following would you expect to see as magical realism moves towards its conclusion?

• characters realize they are in a traffic jam a thousand miles long

• characters realize their bank is giving away free candy

• characters find their lost dog at the animal shelter

• characters find the raccoon that has been raiding their garbage