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” by Washington Irving is a perfect example of gothic literature because it has all of the characteristic features of it. The first and probably most important part of a piece of gothic literature is the existence of some kind of supernatural being or event. In “The Devil and Tom Walker” that supernatural being happens to be the Devil. The Devil is even the character who influences the entire story and ultimately the outcome of the story. “Tom lost his patience and his piety-‘The devil take me,’ said he, ‘if I have made a farthing!’ Just then there were three loud knocks at the street door.
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
Why Dracula is a Gothic Novel The horror story Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, is a thrilling novel about the notorious vampire, Dracula, and about a group of men and women who suffered from his evil and fought back. This novel, written in 1897, is one of the most famous gothic novels, and one of the most famous pieces of literature still to this day. The setting of the novel, the terminology, and the deep emotion that Stoker used allows the reader, and literary critics, to classify Dracula as Gothic Literature. The elements that Dracula contains to make it gothic include the setting of a castle, a suspenseful atmosphere, dreams and visions, inexplicable events, overwhelming emotions, distressed women, metonymy of horror, and of course gothic vocabulary. For a novel to be considered gothic, it must contain certain elements; Dracula reflects many of these unique principles.
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. How does Jekyll turn unto this horrid creature we know as Hyde? Jekyll has always wanted to be bad and mad a concoction of chemicals creating a magic potion changing him into an eviler…MR. HYDE!!! All throughout the book there is the vocabulary of a gothic novel from giant, secret, and many more.
The public-houses were just closing, and dim men and women were clustering in broken groups round their doors. From some of the bars came the sound of a horrible laughter. In others drunkards brawled and screamed.” The unexplained supernatural is a regular theme in gothic novels and in A Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian’s bargain with the devil and the magical effect of this on his portrait is the novels most important gothic element. In the first chapter when Henry manages to convince Dorian that beauty and youth is everything and that without these two things a man is worth nothing, Dorian’s subconsciously, in the pursuit of absolution says ‘I would give my soul’ . And for the next eighteen years his wish is fulfilled, not a hint of a crease marks his face.
Gothic Elements in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde After reading the whole gothic literatures in this semester, I find The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde gives me the most impression. Since I was young, the only kinds of book that can make me feel interested in are gothic type of fiction. Gothic writing tends to be very dark, focus on the evil side of human nature, have supernatural and unexplained elements to it; for example, the mysterious setting and the suspicious events. These elements make me can’t help myself but be immersed in the book. After reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I found three elements that impressed me the most: the atmosphere of mystery and horror, the unbelievable event of doubling in that century, and the disappearance of hope.
Buried Alive Edgar Allan Poe is methodical in creating a gothic darkness and evil storyline provoking sympathy anger, and back to understanding the actions of evil that Montressor inflicted without impunity. Poe creates fantasy and reality, “his fiction often made fun of what he wrought best: terror tales”, (Fisher xv) with The Cask of Amontillado, leaving the reader to question self on how far would you go to avenge your pride, and your honor. The Cask of Amontillado, Montressor narrates a sinister plot to punish and bury Fortunato alive is implausible, however, understanding how antagonistic Fortunato was towards Montressor and the mass of insults delivered may change the readers mind. Poe uses two unusual settings to create the atmosphere in the story, a carnival at night which initially reads as fun, festive, and happiness and however, if you look beyond that carnivals also create an environment of madness, and chaos which releases Montressor freedom to implement his plan of revenge and his high level of evil in which Montressor lures Fortunato into the family catacombs to die. The first setting in the story of jovial, happiness, and jubilant behavior amongst the crowd allows a sense of freedom for Montressor to move and execute his plan without suspicion from Fortunato.
English 113 February 16, 2013 “The Tell-Tale Heart”: Elements of Gothicism As an offshoot to Romanticism, Gothic literature became keen in the 19th Century, leaving Edgar Allen Poe to claim his title as the father of Gothicism. In Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”, the narrator himself is a classic character of Gothicism. Witnessing the insanity his character is consumed by and the murder he commits, this story really gives the reader a dark perception and demonstrates a feeling of abnormality and general deviance. Throughout the entire story, the conflict morphs from the narrator versus the eye, to the narrator versus his own madness. The “Tell-Tale Heart” can be definitively be classified as Gothic literature because Poe’s strong use of imagery, symbolism, and the element of suspense captivates and further heightens the sense of how insane the narrator really is.
Because the poem places a large emphasis on Satan and the fall of man, it could give a sense of rebellion to an uneducated reader, which it certainly did with the monster. However, if Paradise Lost was replaced with the Bible, this influence would be reversed with many positive influences, including “Thou shalt not kill,” and “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” Plutarch’s Lives is a collections of historic retellings of the lives of famous Greek and Roman figures. While there are many positive stories, there are also many negative influences. Many tales of betrayal create negative precedents that the monster followed. However, if a different selection of Lives were chosen, then the monster could have learned of valor and honor.