The language techniques that Shelley uses in the novel represent the genre of the gothic and also portray the fears and concerns about the era in which it was written. The aspects that can be taken into consideration when analysing the novel is the influence of Shelley’s personal life on the novel, the attitudes of people and family in the era and the character of Frankenstein. Chapter 4 starts immediately with a main feature of the gothic. Pathetic fallacy is a technique that Shelley uses well throughout this chapter as it creates an atmosphere and the reader can emphasise the setting. ‘It was a dreary night of November.’ Where Shelley describes it as a dreary night the reader gains an understanding of the setting of the scene and it is always in the back of the mind.
The settings presented are also dark and eeire, and Dracula himself lives in solitude with no other companion. The film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ is just as reliant on the conventions of Gothic fiction (a genre that was extremely popular in the early nineteenth century when the book was written) as the novel, making it not only follow nicely in the novel’s footsteps but also proving to be a chilling delight for the viewing audience. Gothic fiction traditionally includes elements such as wild landscapes, eerie castles, darkness, and decay, isolation, security, the supernatural and innocent maidens threatened by unspeakable evil. Stoker has utilized all of the above and consequently, as does this film adaptation. An example of this would be in the theme of isolation as Dracula’s castle is hidden in the recesses of Transylvania, kept away from civilization of any description.
The Devil and Tom Walker Gothic literature was and still is a very common form of literature in which the point of writing is to make people scared or to question their beliefs. It started around the Puritan times and was directly opposed to their views, so it was aimed at them to make them question their beliefs. Gothic literature is usually extremely dark and gloomy with more than a little death and decay throughout the story. It also almost always has some form of supernatural being or event. “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving is a perfect example of gothic literature because it has all of the characteristic features of it.
Evidence of a gothic novel in Frankenstein Gloomy settings have been used for centuries by many authors to generate a Gothic novel. Bram Stoker used this method to write Dracula, the dreary tale of a dead demon who survives by drinking the blood of the living. Stoker uses gothic imagery to enhance the horror of his novel. Much similar to this, Mary Shelley uses the same tactic to create her own tale of a monster. 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.
She was obsessed with immortality and youth. Another trait that Stoker brought into his novel. As far as fiction goes, Dracula is by far one of the darkest most horrific tales, yet, very entertaining. To know that the character alone is based off of some of the cruelest people in world history still to this day astounds me. However, what is interesting is how vampires have gone from being hated and feared dark monsters of the night to the romanticized creatures of young girl's dreams.
This being so the penetration of Dracula’s fangs replaces sexual intercourse in a physical and symbolic manner. Throughout the entire novel there is a very strong sexual undercurrent some more obvious than others. Certainly the most lurid and revealing passage in Harker's journal is his encounter the three seductresses. During this scene, there is evidence that all aspects of “forbidden sex” such as homosexuality, blurring of genders, lust and incest are present. Even during the decapitation of Lucy, there are hidden sexual meanings.
I can easily understand why the short story made such an impact in the literary and medical worlds. However, I have a hard time understanding how the story is enjoyable to read. Personally, I could not sit through the story and finish it in one sitting. The repetitive language and obsessive nature of the narrator gets extremely irritating. While other gothic tale’s we’ve read in class have been spooky, ironic, or at least entertaining, I feel that this story is literally sickeningly long.
In order to make amends she orders the witches to create more spells to give Macbeth overconfidence as you all know security is mortals chiefest enemy (Act 3 scene 5). Another supernatural element that Shakespeare uses in the play represents Macbeths guilt and beginning of his madness is through the floating daggers in Act 2, which occur in Macbeths own home whilst King Duncan was guest. Before Macbeth commits the murder of King Duncan, he sees a bloody dragger that leads him to Duncans room. Macbeth questions if the dagger is real or a dagger of the mind, a false creation (Act 2 scene 1), in other words it is a hallucination. This dagger makes it so Macbeth cannot resist killing Duncan.
Critical Review ‘The Graveyard Book’ (Neil Gaiman) In the classic children’s fantasy-horror novel, The Graveyard Book, written by English author Neil Gaiman, 2008, he has created a passionate gate into the world of fairy tale and fantasy for young readers. It is considered to be the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature today because it explored various themes and ideas, and questioned others’ opinions of good and evil. Gaiman’s novel examines the themes of death and supernatural. The Graveyard Book is rightly considered the definitive horror novel for children because it entices the reader to continue reading as the plot builds up more excitement. The novel begins with a ruthless murder of a small boy’s entire family by a professional assassin.
Caitlin Batchelor Dracula and How to Read Literature like a Professor 30 August 2012 Bram Stoker’s Dracula is in a word - perfect. It is the perfect example of gothic literature, and it is the perfect book to apply the techniques for reading like a professor, learned in Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor. It is filled with symbols and has hidden themes. As a piece of gothic fiction, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is dark, but after reading How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster Dracula becomes more of a tragic love story fueled by sex and religion containing many symbols that create a new way to view the story. Dracula is a book with many hidden surprises.