ALLUSIONS/LITERARY TERMS

18. NEMESIS

• Origin: Greek goddess of Revenge and divine retribution
• Agent of punishment

18. NEMESIS

• Meaning: Unbeatable rival or inescapable situation that causes misery
• Portrays poetic justice
• Examples: Oedipus' nemesis proved to be the oracle's prophesy and his belief that he could overcome it.
• The article was penned by our old Boston nemesis, Ethel Reagan.

17. GOTHIC TALE

• Definition: A style of writing that describes strange or frightening events that take place in mysterious places.
• Origin: 1764, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

17. GOTHIC TALE

• Common themes and elements: 1) setting in a large, abandoned building 2) atmosphere of mystery and suspense 3) omens, prophesies, supernatural events 4) high emotions of stress and horror 5) "dark" vocabulary
• Examples: Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, Edgar Allan Poe's works such as "The Fall of the House of Usher"

18. GRAVEYARD POETS

• Definition: a number of pre-Romantic English poets of the 18th century characterized by gloomy meditations on mortality, skulls and coffins, and the presence of the graveyard. Also called the "Churchyard Poets" and "Boneyard Boys."
• Origin: Mid-18th century, group of poets who wrote poetry in graveyards.
• Eventually turned into gothic tales

18. GRAVEYARD POETS

• Common Themes: death, gloom, mortality, religion, and funerals.
• Often these poets were Christians who compared death with a person's relationship with God.
• Example: "The Curse of Black Beard" by Cherl Dunn