Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne are the great Gothic writers of the 19th century. Gothic in the 19th century was considered gritty, grim and barbarous to an extent as well, depending on the author you come across. Gothic is what brought the unconscious mind, also known as altered states, to the surface. The unconscious mind being, the fear you don’t seek. Most of the time in your dreams—or what you think to be your dreams. The unconscious mind shows you that with great hope, also comes great fear. It makes you think about the darkness you fear and creates it into your Gothic, which is why it scares you. Poe had his distinctive Gothic, as well as Hawthorne; Poe even may have come off as a bit darker than Hawthorne was; however, they
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Starting with “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe, you have the house itself being a mind of the unconsciousness. Now, in what way was Poe trying to convey with this Gothic unconsciousness, is something that is dark and frightening. The house in the novel, was a character itself. The secrets the house implanted inside of it was a part of the Gothic genre, it was a part of the story. From beginning to end, you get colors in “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The moon is red, from the beginning of the story you get the darkness about the house as well. “During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year…” (P499, Poe) That is the first line of Poe’s novel. Not only does darkness make a story Gothic; however, secrets also do too. Usher had some secrets about his sister, Madeline that aren’t especially told in the story, but implied in a sense. He buried his sister alive, for crying out loud. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a good example of gritty, dark …show more content…
On the other hand; you have Hawthorne, who tells you through the narrators conscious what he fears. Poe also has his unconscious fears as beings of who you are. They are inculcated into a being of who you didn’t want to know, in a sense. No one wants to know that the devil can be you, he can take over who you are and change you. I believe that’s where Poe and Hawthorne become different Gothic writers. Hawthorne’s ideal was more of an unconscious being, being instilled into something else to scare you. A novel that went against the grain, I would say, would be “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” This story puts a different light on what unconsciousness can be and how it doesn’t have to be dark and dim. It can be bright and full of life at times as well; which, is something that Poe never really wrote about. Poe was dark and he stuck to that based on the two stories we have read. “Rappaccini’s Daughter” was the wanting of Giovanni to just let go. Let the unconsciousness take over, but he couldn’t do that. You have to be willing to let go, with the unconsciousness. That’s something that Hawthorne incorporated into “Rappaccini’s
Starting with “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe, you have the house itself being a mind of the unconsciousness. Now, in what way was Poe trying to convey with this Gothic unconsciousness, is something that is dark and frightening. The house in the novel, was a character itself. The secrets the house implanted inside of it was a part of the Gothic genre, it was a part of the story. From beginning to end, you get colors in “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The moon is red, from the beginning of the story you get the darkness about the house as well. “During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year…” (P499, Poe) That is the first line of Poe’s novel. Not only does darkness make a story Gothic; however, secrets also do too. Usher had some secrets about his sister, Madeline that aren’t especially told in the story, but implied in a sense. He buried his sister alive, for crying out loud. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a good example of gritty, dark …show more content…
On the other hand; you have Hawthorne, who tells you through the narrators conscious what he fears. Poe also has his unconscious fears as beings of who you are. They are inculcated into a being of who you didn’t want to know, in a sense. No one wants to know that the devil can be you, he can take over who you are and change you. I believe that’s where Poe and Hawthorne become different Gothic writers. Hawthorne’s ideal was more of an unconscious being, being instilled into something else to scare you. A novel that went against the grain, I would say, would be “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” This story puts a different light on what unconsciousness can be and how it doesn’t have to be dark and dim. It can be bright and full of life at times as well; which, is something that Poe never really wrote about. Poe was dark and he stuck to that based on the two stories we have read. “Rappaccini’s Daughter” was the wanting of Giovanni to just let go. Let the unconsciousness take over, but he couldn’t do that. You have to be willing to let go, with the unconsciousness. That’s something that Hawthorne incorporated into “Rappaccini’s