Gothic horror was a common genre of use in the time Frankenstein was written. This was a time of great novels such as Dracula and Hound of the Baskervilles. Gothic horror is traditionally set in dark castles and countryside with eerie moaning music and bad weather Written in 1818 Frankenstein is the deeply disturbing tale of a monstrous unnamed creation that was created in the name of science. Huge and strong, the creature created by Victor Frankenstein kills and murders many throughout the tale, but considering his tragic beginnings I must ask, who is the real monster in this gothic tale of horror? Frankenstein is cleverly written in two parts.
In her novel Frankenstein, she creates her own gothic novel by the classical elements of a dark setting, the use of a villainous character, and the mysterious tone. Initially, Mary Shelley uses a dark setting to portray Frankenstein as a gothic novel. The dark setting pushes the plot and creates the essence of many of the scenes in this sinister story. Once Dr. Frankenstein decides to sneak into an uncanny cemetery and steals a body, the setting allows the exposure of his ominous fascination. He looks down at the lifeless body and his instruments "on a dreary night of November" and "the rain pattered dismally against the panes."
Washington Irving is identified with the gothic with his “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, however the gothic mode can also be identified in his story, “Rip Van Winkle”. To begin, both will be compared with their use of the Gothic Mode. Edgar Allan Poe’s writing set the mold for most gothic literature to follow. From “The Raven” to “The Tell-Tale Heart” his writing sets the reader on edge and fills them with unease. “Its style tends to be ornate, unnatural” (Carter 134).
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
03.05 Fascination with Fear By: Gabrielle Laurenzo The Premature Burial is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe where he discovers the narrator’s fear of being buried alive by analyzing examples of this event. The narrator explains how terrifying it was for him being prematurely buried. The setting takes place in the middle of the 19th century at the narrator’s home in Richmond, Virginia. At the end of the story, the narrator explains how, “There are moments when, even to the sober eye of Reason, the world of our sad Humanity may assume the semblance of a Hell—but the imagination of man is no innocent, exploring its every cavern is not without risk. Alas!
How do you respond to the view that the Monster is Frankenstein’s double, representing the evil side of his character? The theme of the double is a particularly common feature in nineteenth century Gothic Literature. As an externalization of a part of the self it is often used to demonstrate the tension between the laws of society and the desires of the individual and to give voice to that which has been silenced by rational discourse. It can be argued that the Monster is Frankenstein’s double representing the evil side of his character as when Victor refers to the monster as ‘my own spirit’ he provides the clearest expression of the notion that he and the monster may be doubles, with the monster acting out Victor’s own aggressions. Victor says that the monster is ‘my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave and forced to destroy all that was dear to me’.
Such as the works of Edgar Allan Poe darkness of his pieces are in unity with his inner being. The suspenseful and ominous style of “The Pit and the Pendulum” and Poe’s poem “The Lake”, both show the usage of sensory images. Being the “father” of horror stories, Poe’s aids his readers through the power of descriptive writing, grasping their attention with rich sensory imagery that conveys the writer’s emotions. One of Poe’s greatest stories that tricks and strikes terror in our hearts is “The Pit and the Pendulum”. Poe wanted the readers to feel the terror and horror that the narrator felt.
Jekyll and Hyde Essay In the eerie novel of Jekyll and Hyde include eight out of ten of the gothic elements. It includes an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, supernatural, high even overwrought emotions, women in distress, women threaten by a powerful man (monster), the metonymy of gloom and horror, the vocab of the gothic, omens, portents, and visions. Within the beginning of the book in chapter one where Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield witness a man run into and then trample a little girl, the elements that tie with this is the women is distress. It would be a woman in distress because this huge man ran into here and got angry and trampled girl. The supernatural happens Jekyll got caught turning into Hyde by Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield this would also classify as overwrought emotions because of Mr. Utterson being haunted by Mr. Hyde’s face, or when Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield saw Dr. Jekyll turn into Mr. Hyde.
His method of presenting the details of a dramatic situation adds a sense of mystery that contributes to the fearful surroundings and helps build towards a climax. Poe’s ability to take even the most supernatural and unnerving details from his stories and make the emotions that they evoke apply to his audience suggests that the fear and terror associated with his stories are universally applicable and gives his writing a sublime flavor. In the beginning of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the narrator immediately sets a murky tone to the story by describing the scenery as he approaches Roderick Usher’s house. “I looked upon the scene before me—upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain—upon the bleak walls—upon the vacant eye-like windows—upon a few rank sedges—and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees—with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthy sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveler upon opium—the bitter lapse into common life—the hideous dropping off of the veil” (Poe 1508). Immediately we know that
People such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King are all tributes to the original horror story writer, Edgar Allen Poe. Poe's haunting linguistic descriptions, unnerving parallelism between his life and his works, and alarming yet purposeful exploration of symbolism and situations draws the reader into a state of pity and sorrow while at the same times leaving them with a feeling of