The Haunting Of Hill House

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about Gothic literature? List examples of books, TV shows, movies, or video games in this genre. What characteristics, conflicts, and images are common in Gothic literature?

Teaching Suggestion: If students are unlikely to know the definition of Gothic literature, you might ask them to provide examples of fictional works in the horror genre. Then, students might benefit from reading through the links below and separating their examples into two buckets: Gothic horror and non-Gothic horror. You might then have students participate in a whole-class discussion on what makes fiction “Gothic” and then debrief their examples of Gothic and non-Gothic fiction.

• This library guide from the British Library defines Gothic literature and provides examples of key Gothic motifs. The page includes a 9-minute video that students may either watch or read in transcript form.
• This article from the New York Public Library provides specific examples of Gothic literature and explains how they contribute to the Gothic genre.

2. Gothic literature is often disturbing and unsettling in nature. Why do people gravitate toward Gothic literature? Why has this genre remained popular for centuries?

Teaching Suggestion: If students are not prepared to answer this question, consider reframing it to focus on horror and suspense. Why do people go to horror movies? Why do people want to feel afraid? What is the purpose of fear? What can horror reveal that other genres cannot?

• This article provides an analysis of why many people enjoy horror.
• This article explains the psychological reasons for the popularity of Gothic literature and film.
• This article from the Guardian explains why many writers consider The Haunting of Hill House to be the quintessential Gothic horror story, especially in its exploration of the characters’ psychology.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Young people often feel that they are misunderstood and do not connect with the world around them. In what ways do you feel that you belong, and in what ways do you feel that you do not? Consider your relationships at school, with your teachers, with friends, with family. What is the effect of feeling as if you do not belong?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt may lead to students answering in very personal ways, and if they are not ready for this type of questioning, it is possible to change the prompt by asking students to answer more broadly: “What are the consequences for a person feeling as if they do not belong?” However, this prompt can serve as a useful connection for students to empathize with the protagonist of The Haunting of Hill House once they start reading. The prompt can also serve as a springboard for connecting psychology and Gothic literature—how these stories often serve as a metaphor or allegory for a common psychological state, such as feeling alone and as if you do not belong. It may be beneficial to introduce the connected idea of The Fragility of Identity as an upcoming theme in the novel.