Brahm Stoker’s “Dracula” highlights concerns prevalent within the Victorian era, shown through characters, symbols and themes throughout the novel. Prior to this, Samuel Taylor Coleridge worked within the Romantic era absorbing a multitude of radical political and theological ideas, ideas which often underpinned his works. Coleridge’s “Christabel” confronts concerns surrounding universal human characteristics, particularly those most prominent within his era, such as female purity and innocence. In contrast to these more traditional beliefs, “Blood; The Last Vampire” articulates anxieties surrounding the breakdown of a society and the repercussions of this in relation to a younger, more contemporary society. The “dark side’ within these texts are often projected through a singular symbol, character or theme that is unaccepted or feared by its surrounding society.
What are at least two common mental disorders one might find in Gothic stories? Two common mental disorders found in Gothic stories include Melancholia and Hysteria. 5. How are terror and horror different from one another, and how are they related to one another in Gothic literature? In Gothic literature, terror is described as being full of fear, or the fear of what we believe will be bad, whereas horror is described as someone in distress, or watching those bad things happen.
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.
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
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, are both excellent examples of Gothic literature and the elements which set this genre apart from others. Each author employs such Gothic elements as metonymy, mystery and suspense, and overwrought emotion to create pieces of writing that have affected the way we tell stories even to the present day. Metonymy is an element that affects the way the reader interprets the scene without knowing it. In Gothic literature, metonymy usually makes for much “doom and gloom.” Blowing winds, howls, moans, sighs, and eerie sounds are all entwined within Frankenstein, illustrating Shelley’s use of metonymy. All of these are used to subtly reference the overall air of darkness and horror apparent in the novel.
To begin with the two short stories “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “by Edgar Allan Poe are two illustrations of Gothic literatures. There are several characteristics of Gothic literature spooky surroundings, glumness, and immoral dominant over the moral. Gothic literatures are more often set in old building, or big house, which portrays human decay and it’s designed a feeling of isolation and fear. Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", and Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher", both use gothic elements of technique in relating the exterior in order to reflect the gloominess of these characters feelings. Both books have similar writing style as gloomy, but foreshadowing and dystopia bring about the effectiveness of gothic literature in both books.
In a gothic novel there are elements of horror, mystery and suspense. The gothic elements found in Frankenstein come from the ugliness as well as killings and death. There are other examples of a gothic novel such as remorse and sadness. The atmosphere in a novel gives another element of being gothic. The novel Frankenstein contains many of these gothic elements like the atmosphere, ugliness, killings, sadness and remorse.
This quote shows the medieval castle aspect almost always found in the gothic novel type, but also even begins to set up the dark, gloomy, and uneasy atmosphere that is so important in this kind of literature. Within the first four chapters, Jonathan, describes the setting of the Count’s old abandoned-looking castle which gave Jonathan, not to mention the reader, an uneasy feeling: “..for there is something so strange about this place and all in it that I cannot but feel uneasy. I wish I were safe out of
I believe the genre for both stories would be considered gothic fiction. This is because they each have elements of both horror and romance. The romance is in the past however, as the couples relationship is now coming to an end. Mr. Carver also describes the setting as the end of winter or early spring, with snow melting and the water running off to make everything dirty.
The Picture of Dorian Gray came at a time when the golden age of Gothic Fiction was already well passed. However the novel is seen as a revival of the gothic genre. It also redefined the elements of a gothic novel. It lacked the lovelorn heroine/hero that novels like The Mysteries of Udolpho (Anne Radcliffe) and Dracula (Bram Stoker) thrived on. The only love that is epitomized in the novel is that of the self, which proved to be perhaps its most gothic aspect.