Rip and the Raven What is Gothic Mode? What defines a piece of literature as being “Gothic”? Webster’s dictionary defines “gothic” as “of or relating to a style of writing that describes strange or frightening events that take place in mysterious places and of or relating to a style of fiction characterized by the use of desolate or remote settings and macabre, mysterious, or violent incidents.” Angela Carter writes that the Gothic Mode deals with the imagery of the unconscious and makes abstractions from romanticism (134). A gathered definition of the Gothic mode is the usage of supernatural and mysterious elements coupled with dark writing to make a literature piece used to provoke unease and to make the reader question the world and reality
Insanity could be defined as “the state of being mentally ill; madness”, thus it is no surprise that writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and D. H. Lawrence beauteously integrated aspects of insanity into their stories in order to chisel the perfect piece of gothic literature, simultaneously luring the reader in to a world carved by madness and drowned in an eerie atmosphere. Portraying one as insane is a powerful gothic literary device that has been used throughout the era of the gothic, notably in Matthew Lewis' “The Monk” and Horace Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto”. One way in which writers complement and enhance the insanity of their sadistic characters is through the psychological and mental torture that is often inflicted upon the victims
How does the author want the reader to feel while reading "The Cask of Amontillado”? Poe wants to feel the unreliableness of Montresor and wants to create the gothic and spooky thrill of stories like his. What techniques does the author use to help you visualize the place, the people, and the events that are taking place within the story? Imagery was used throughout the story to describe the catacombs so that you can picture how dreary and a terrifying place it must be. As well as when Montresor describes Fortunato especially with “the wine twinkling in his eyes”.
‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’ Argues without Argument ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’ is a complex short story told though the point of view of a sarcastic and insane protagonist, who has rapidly changing ideas about her surroundings, other characters and even her own psychological state. Because of this, readers may come to a variety of conclusions about major plot points and themes. Puzzled, readers will identify the piece as a horror story—a vivid portrayal of insanity with unsettling realism. This is indeed the conscious conclusion that Charlotte Perkins Gilman intends for her readers to form. However, the piece is so much more than a simple horror story; it is a deceptively hidden but powerful essay on female equality and marriage, two topics about which Gilman wrote frequently.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is another Gothic text in which the protagonist epitomizes the fears and anxieties of society, similarly reflected in the sketch. The protagonist, the interchangeable Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde both fears and scorns Christianity. The text however, is consistently scattered with religious and biblical allusions, both stated and assumed. Dr Jekyll believes that ‘man is not truly one, but truly two’ (p.84). Through the course of the novel, Jekyll tries to separate the two sides of his personality but something goes wrong, instead of ‘coming forth an angel’ (p.89), Jekyll becomes the fiend Hyde.
The Oxford Dictionary of English states that “monster” is an inhumane, cruel, or wicked person; or a thing or animal that is excessively or dauntingly large; how about to criticize or reprimand severely; or the Latin word “monstrum” meaning portent, omen, or well monster. The purpose of my research here is to show the similarities between us and those infamous creatures that we’ve feared since childhood. All monsters share some character flaws like greed, envy, recklessness, obsession, and the urge or need to cause destruction. Humans share these flaws with monsters. We share greed, greed sadly is what drives and motivates all of us someway or some how Van Fossen Most if not all monsters are characterized by being gross, large, crude.
Throughout Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein readers are forced to compare and contrast the morality and monstrosity of both Victor Frankenstein and ‘the monster’. In literal terms, behaving monstrously is described as ‘committing actions that are inhumanly or outrageously evil or wrong’. To this end, it could most definitely be argued that both of the main characters in the novel are monstrous at one point or another. Ultimately, the following essay is intent upon exploring whether it is in fact the humans or the monster that act ‘the most monstrously’. Firstly, Shelley depicts Victor Frankenstein as more monstrous than the ‘monster’ through the use of a careful plot structure.
The purpose of this essay is to compare similarities between the two and contrast differences. The three main similarities that can be discussed involve horror/ fear, isolation and survival. The three main differences that can be discussed involve death, humanity and violence. The first similarity that can be discussed is horror. As implied before according to H.P Lovecraft “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
Nothing to Fear, but Fear Itself Fear can destroy people. Many are driven crazy by fear and are pushed to the brinks of insanity. Those who are put in situations of panic, where even a character’s surroundings are instigating fear, can find themselves in compromising positions. Edgar Allan Poe’s stories “The Black Cat” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” are two prime examples of stories where fear moves the plot along, as it transforms its characters. Poe explores the darkest depths of the human mind and exploits his characters’ fear of themselves, and while these accounts have ready supplies of fear, they convey these apprehensions in different ways.
Furthermore, the author uses feelings to describe the monster. The adjective “miserable” manifests to the reader that the monster is also unhappy, just like Victor. This foreshadows later events