Examples Of Gothic In Frankenstein

What is “Gothic”? Nowadays, people assume that stories with supernatural content are considered to be “Gothic”. However, the supernatural is only one of the elements to a Gothic literature. With that, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” and Henry Lawson’s “The Bush Undertaker” will be explored in terms of introducing more aspects of the Gothic and their similarities in regards to how the Gothic is used to convey their messages across. Gothic is a genre describing dark and terrifying events that take place in mysterious places. This genre emphasizes on spaces and often has its stories set in exotic places in Europe or ancient castles. The settings usually conceal a horrifying secret or are most likely home to a fearful character. It qualifies …show more content…
The narrator started the story explaining that he has a “docility and humanity” in his “disposition” (p272). He and his wife had many pets, including a black cat named Pluto. The narrator and Pluto were good friends until he turned into an alcoholic. The Gothic element of exploring the character’s mental state was evident; he became agitated as his drinking problems grew worse. “I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others.” (p272) and “The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body.” (p273). The use of repetition in the first quote shows the narrator’s destroyed mood. Presenting his mental state made the audience realize that the narrator was fully aware of his actions , yet he still continued, putting the blame on alcohol. He gouged Pluto’s eye out and eventually killed it while being intoxicated one night. He then got another cat that looked exactly like Pluto except that it had a large white patch on its chest. Dark feelings such as gloom and horror were mentioned by the narrator that is also a characteristic of the Gothic. “I am almost ashamed to own—that the terror and horror with which the animal inspired me, had been heightened...” (p276) This proves that alcohol made the narrator lose his grip on reality and …show more content…
The “Bush Undertaker” uses colonial Gothic which is a sub-genre of Gothic. . In the sketch, an old man or hatter prepared dinner for him and his dog on Christmas Day. The use of the Bush as a setting is one of the features for colonial Gothic. Gothic literature and Australian settlement started in the 18th century . Themes such as confinement, the uncanny, disorientation, hostile environments and uncertainty were covered by the colonial writers and “The Bush Undertaker” was no exception. One of the main focus points of the sketch was isolation which is considered a Gothic element. The shepherd was isolated in the Bush and has been sent mad in some way. He soliloquized to himself throughout most of the sketch. After dinner, the shepherd decided to amuse himself by digging up an aboriginal’s skeleton from its grave in the Bush. While he recovered the body, he then saw another corpse which turned out to be his friend “Brummy”. The shepherd attempted to bring home both, but he was startled by numerous black goannas and wondered why there were so many. He soon realized they were attracted to Brummy’s body and he ended up shooting one. When the shepherd returned home, he finally gave Brummy a respectful funeral. The appearances of the black goanna signify the shepherd’s materialism. For instance, when the shepherd found there was nearly a full bottle of rum left from Brummy’s bottle, he said “me