Obsessions In Victorian Gothic Literature

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The O Word All obsessions, whether moderate or serious, are described by the persistent and disturbing pre-occupation with someone or something. Obsessions, on the rarest occasions, contain the slightest amount of humor, but they oftentimes become so serious that they cross the line of insanity. Such insanity displays itself quite clearly when presented in the case of Victorian gothic literature, specifically in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James. In both of these literary works, the insane and obsessive tendencies of both of the protagonists causes them to encounter constant adversity, destruction, and unwanted conflict. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the protagonist, Dorian Gray, becomes…show more content…
The governess, Dorian Gray’s female counterpart, has a dual obsession with the well-being of Miles and Flora, the children whom she cares for. She also obsesses over the belief that these children interact with malevolent forces, which as a result, shows that the governess subjects her own self to misfortune throughout the novel. From the moment the governess arrives at Bly, the estate where she begins working to take care of the children, she decides to become a godmother to them in order to guide and protect them, protection that clearly proves excessively invasive. Noticing that the relationship between the governess and the children flourished not too long ago, she still insists that she fulfill their need for sociability and accompany them at all times. The governess becomes captivated by everything that the children do and everywhere that they go, and on one occasion, she reports to Mrs. Grose that the “romance of the nursery, the mere presence of the children, and the poetry of the schoolroom” (James 26) excites her to the point of no return. This statement shows that the governess has very amateur experience with young children, because any proficient child caretaker would know that although young children require monitoring, granting them freedom…show more content…
Dorian Gray and the governess, two very self-centered characters, became so concerned with what would benefit them and make them happy, that they did not realize that their actions would generate misfortune and harsh conditions for themselves and others. They risked fatalities, unmentionable reputations, and mental instability just to attain instant gratification, but the destruction that followed them in the end was definitely not worth their intense cravings and insane
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