How to Create a Gothic Poem

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Consider your topic.

   Gothic poems are usually about death, night, suffering, and mystery.
   
   While these topics may be present to some extent in any poem, they are dominant in Gothic poetry.If you're planning to write a happy love poem, you might want to reconsider whether the Gothic poem is the best form for your topic.
   
   Gothic love poems are typically about unhappy love, whether it's unrequited, forbidden, taboo, or otherwise unfortunate.
   
   Gothic poems are usually psychological as well.
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   Step 2: Choose your setting.

   Gothic poems typically have a strong sense of place.
   
   This place is your setting.
   
   Gothic poems may take place in a dungeon, a graveyard, or in a room that feels mysteriously haunted.There is almost always something supernatural about the setting, or the objects found in the setting.
   
   Gothic poems are usually set in the past, often the distant past.
   
   You'll rarely find a Gothic poem set in the future, or in a futuristic setting. , Usually, a Gothic poems tells a story.
   
   It has a narrative, and a narrator (or, someone who tells the story.) Because the poem will be dark, usually someone dies mysteriously or tragically.
   
   This might happen in the poem, or the poem might be written referring to this tragedy that occurred in the past.The 3 main themes of Gothic poetry are love, death and temptation.
   
   Your story should include at least 1 of these, preferably 2 or even
   3.
   
   There is usually a religious (Christian) subtext to the Gothic poem, but not always.
   
   Most Gothic poems will have both a hero and a villain in them, and employ both natural and supernatural elements.
   
   The villain may characterize the "Other" in a psychological way. , If you are writing a poem about the death of a young girl, for instance, you will want to include figurative images that enhance your text.You might want to include symbols of innocence and purity to represent the girl.
   
   For example, some images of purity might be: rose buds; fresh, white snow; a drop of dew.
   
   Using images to strengthen the contrast between themes in your poem.
   
   For example, if you're using the figurative image of pure white snow to represent goodness, you could include a drop of blood on the snow to represent impurity.
   
   There is often a contrast between images of light and dark in Gothic poetry. , Some poets start their poem with a title, but many poets don't find their titles until the poem is nearly completed.
   
   A title can be used to enhance the meaning of your poem without giving away too much of the story.The best titles give a sense of mystery and intrigue.
   
   Some good examples of evocative titles are:
   A Starless Night, Death of a Maiden, or The Twisted Cathedral. , One element that adds unpredictability to a Gothic poem is the hint of insanity in a main character.
   
   This is not insanity as found in contemporary experience of mental illness, but a romantic kind of madness that leads to the loss of individual boundaries and borders.This kind of madness is considered more moral than medical.
   
   Examples of madness in Gothic literature include Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart or Renfield in Stoker's Dracula.
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   Step 3: Think about what will happen in your poem.

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   Step 4: Consider the best images for your poem.

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   Step 5: Think of a title.

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   Step 6: Consider using madness as a theme.

Detailed Guide

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