The Vampyre Lesson Plan

What are the characteristics of gothic fiction, and how are do they manifested in The Vampyre?

Students who have read other works of gothic fiction (such as Edgar Allen Poe's works) may recall to varying degrees some of the following characteristics of the genre: a focus on the macabre or the supernatural, an emphasis on the emotions and imagination, and the frequent evocation of a kind of morbid grandeur or sublimity. Students will easily be able to identify instances of these characteristics in The Vampyre, and they should be encouraged by the teacher to provide concrete examples.

What is the overall effect of Lord Ruthven on the social circles that he frequents? Is...